Just a quick question. Which would be the better wood for a bamboo backed all wood long bow: Hickory or Ipe. Pros and cons for each wood. Thanks, Paul

just me, but I would do a hickory backed ipe......a friend sent me a boo backed ipe once with nodes and I got a lift in the boo a bad one,..bow is ruined,...I couldn't tell what caused it perhaps it got damaged in shiping but I couldn't tell?...boo with nodes or raw boo?..is not rugged enough for my liking I hunt my bows,...now I have too grind that boo off and redo a backing etc,...a lot of work...I will do an ash or hickory backing even osage if I ever get too it??.....snake

Ipe is extremely strong in compression, making it one of only a few that are well suited to bamboo backing. Use tha bamboo. Save the hickory backing for the white woods.

I have been hunting all year with an IPE/Bamboo. I love it,any backing can fail but rarely should that be the end of the bow. IPE is an incredible wood. Keep your belly flat and you'll do fine.

I really like the boo/ipe combo! Never had a problem with the boo lifting. I could see it happening though, if the nodes are sanded down too far. Hickory is very hard to beat. It's easy to work with and looks good. I still like bamboo better though.

The IPE if properly selected and tillered..will do well with a nodes-on bamboo backing.. Pay attention to moisture content dryness..and use a good epoxy and proper wrapping and glue up for any backing..

The bamboo backing needs to be tapered in thickness as well as width to correspond with the design-width dimensions of the IPE core.. Hishory doesn't have near the compressive strength of IPE..

Hickory is a fine ( PIGNUT) BUT it's very hydroscopic ..Does best if the ambient it is stored and used in are very dry..Jim

Yep, what Jim said.

I'd go with the ipe, bamboo backed.

Sailor,

What part of Co,do you live in?

In the dry side,you might consider Ipe backed with hickory.

In Dry Nevada,Bamboo doesnt fair so well.Some of us have noticed Bamboo backs and shafts have a tendency to check badly over time.

Traxx, I live in Durango, in the southwest part of the state at 6500 feet. We feel it is dry here but not near as dry as Nevada.

All natural fibers loose tension stength once they go below about 10% moisture, this is usually not a problem until they start going below 6%.

Steve,

I have often wondered,if that is one of the reasons why the shorter sinew backed bow was used in the great basin.I have seen stave trees,that could have yielded longer staves for selfbows,if they had wanted them.

Traxx, it very well could have been, any native design you see will usually have some sound science behind it if you look hard enough to find it.

I live in Great basin country, almost, in Utah. Have never had bamboo lift splinters anywhere. I have had backings pop off and glue issues and gaps that wouldn't fill, but just never seen a bamboo back lift at the nodes.

Ipe/bamboo is an awesome combo, and great for narrow designs.

Never said lift splinters or lift at a node,i said checking.Some of the checking so severe,its gone from end to end.

Does the boo need to be tapered if so how much

Yes. Measured at its crown, the bamboo should be about 1/8 thick at the handle area and 1/16 at the tips.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here