So here we go! These two Bubinga boards will make up the outside of the riser for a copy of a 60" 1960 Bear Archery Kodiak Deluxe. I try to cut my stock to the size of the pattern board. It makes all the gluing and cutting in the future much easier. I'm still trying to decide on the wood for the riser center and grip, and your suggestions are much appreciated!

Which wood? Still trying to decide. I found out that rushing a bow is deadly, so I'll take my time. And remember, if you don't like the results, you can always build another one!

You got that right Richard :-) can always build another one. JF

Always a market for well made "ugly" bows! I like #3,#4, or #6 left to right.

I like the contrast that #4 and #6 (from L-R) would provide.

...but save that B&W ebony for me...:)

That is some wonderful pieces of bubinga! I'm kinda liking board #1 or #5

#6 would indeed make a nice contrast.

I don't know Richard, ebony and bubinga with curly maple limb veneers, or green glass? Bubinga with curly maple and black veneer in the riser and black glass? Allot of great combinations with those woods. Whatever you decide I am sure it will be beautiful and you know I need a partner for my other one!

I would go with the Maple. Is there a way I could beg, borrow, or steal a paper copy of your riser template? I am challenged when it comes to drawing. This would make a neat project for the summer months.

That #5 is actually Oregon Myrtle. I've decided to make a 54" at the same time, out of the same 6' board I got the figured wood from. I'm still trying to decide on the accent wood. The last 2 months have been the wettest on record here in Olympia, WA, rain and cold almost every day. So this is what happens when I couldn't get outside.

I ran into a little challenge while running the boards thru the sander. There is a knot and a little patch of decayed wood showing on one piece. I could position my template such that the knot would be removed when I cut the site window and the rot would be cut out when I cut the grip arc.

Or...I can simply place this side against the center "I-beam" and forget about it. The rot will be replaced by the grip, and the other side of the board is just as nice. You will ALWAYS run up against these problems when bow building, and I find that it's sometimes best to quit for the day, walk the dogs, shoot your bow, or do yardwork, and the solution will very often come to you. Remember,....never rush! Now it's sunny, so I better mow our lawn! More tomorrow. Now.......which contrast wood????

Great buildalong, Richard. Awesome to witness your process.

I like those risers with the orange color in. Neat. Guess i better shut up and see what YOU choose :>)

Purty sharp.

Holy cow Richard, a bow building mad man here. Thanks for the doing the build along, love these kind of threads.

I think the accent wood should be of bland grain and either very light or very dark. The contrast and the blandness will isolate and accentuate the bubinga's figure, rather than compete with it. Black phenolic would be nice as well.

Loving this thread. Thanks for taking the time to do it.

No matter the wood choice Jeff will buy it!

What's the best way to buy one of these?!? I love em!

I like #2 and #5, myself...

And those two risers at the bottom of that third pic are just.... Va-Va-Voom!

Thank you for sharing. This is going to be fun to follow

That orange looking wood in the group of risers is Padauk. It will darken greatly with age and turn out to be a dark, rich red. OK! I've decided to use Wenge in the 54" riser after walking my 2 Golden Retrievers and the neighbors' Chocolate Lab. The young Golden Retrievers' deep red coat and the dark brown of the lab looked great together. Inspiration comes in mysterious forms! The photo is the Wenge I'll use compared with the 60" riser block. What do you think?

ooppss! Forgot to post the photo! Here it is.

When Jeff suggested it was a good idea. When I suggested it...great :>) Thanks for the build along. I enjoy following these.

I really like Wenge but it is tough to get it to take a finish, isn't it? Shawn

Awesome.

High quality.

No problem finishing Wenge. I use several coats of marine epoxy which fills the pores completely. Smooth as glass!

I will be following along to see how they turn out. Thanks for taking the time for a build along.

Oh my, what some people do with their spare time. Looking forward to following your build along. Thank you for the posting. Gil

Good morning all! Another rare day here in Olympia...no rain! Here is a picture of my Supermax 1938 drum sander doing it's job perfectly! I tried a Grizzly 12" Baby drum sander, but never was satisfied with it's accuracy due to the inconsistency of it's Velcro-sandpaper attachment system. The Supermax has a solid drum and produces excellent, consistent results. I use a lot of oily woods like Bocote and Verawood, so I use 36 grit paper to achieve strong glue joints. I've decided to use highly figured Maple with the figured Bubinga. When wood choices are made, I must consider all aspects of the bow, like limb glass, overlays, and tip color. Thanks to all of you for your kind comments and suggestions! Richard

Question, have you ever used Koa? I have a couple of pieces that started out as stock for Gibson Guitar. Wondering how it would hold up to our heat and super dry climate here in Phx., AZ. area. Thanks, TomM

Never tried Koa, so I don't know much about it. After going thru all my wood piles, this is all the Maple I have on hand. I need a piece the same dimensions as the template.

The only part of the Maple I-beam that will show is pointed out by the dividers, but I want it to be spectacular. The grip will show most of the Maple's character, so it has to be highly figured and unique. I'm going to have search for that special piece, so it's off to the Woodworking Shop in Sumner, WA.

Here's the bow I took all my patterns from. The grip is made up of 2 pieces of Zebrawood, laminated together, but I add a center piece of contrasting wood, usually the same color as the main part of the riser. This bow is unshootable due to a fracture of the glass in the lower limb.

Neemah, Jeff had posted some pics of your works, and man they are beautiful. Glad both of you do these buildalaongs... SORT OF. It makes me think I need another bow, but I sure like watching it all come together. Shawn, Jeff put a piece of Wenge in my longbow and it looks sleek as glass. :-D not sure how he finished it out, but it really does look nice and adds GREAT contrast. For the record I like the 4th and 9th riser from the bottom, and in woods liked 1 and 6 from the left. See, everyone has a different taste. But they are all nice!!

-Bones

I'm back from Sumner Woodworking! It's sure nice to have a quality wood store so close.

Lots to choose from..

This nice piece of Koa caught my eye...

But this REALLY got me interested!

So, here's what I ended up buying. The large Maple block will be the I-beam in the Bubinga riser, and the small Maple burl will be the grip. I can get another riser out of the larger block also. The Myrtle block will make two great risers in the future......I just couldn't resist

Sumner also has several antique shops and I found these 4 old compounds for $25 each. The kids bow is reversible....just turn it upside down for lefties. Here's 2.

And here's the other 2. The top one is a Bear.

Another view of the Bear... Now I'm going to sit back with a brew and watch the NCAA Women's Final Four. By the way, I received 2 new band saw blades today. I like the Highland Woodworking Wood Slicers for my 17" Grizzly. Tomorrow morning I'll be performing surgery on the two Maple burls, sanding the 3 riser boards to the correct thickness, and gluing up the riser block and grip block. And, I got the front yard mowed! It's been a great day! Richard

Koa is beautiful wood. I saw a lot of stuff made from it in Kauai. I tried to get Dan Toelke to build me a Pika from it but he told me it wasn't stable enough for risers. Excited to see these bows being built Richard. You do beautiful work.

Steve, type in "Koa bow risers" on Google and hit images. There are some real beauties in there! I'll try Koa in the future for sure. RK

Now that looks like a sweet wood store. I'm drooling here a bit :) JF

Dang Richard! Thanks for taking me along. Hope to see you again soon. Lance.

Diggin this thread. Those old compounds are a crack up. How they ever took off is a testament to something, but I don't know exactly what. lol

Good morning, and congratulations to Mississippi!! I marked out the grip on the small chunk of Maple, using an old cut-out for a pattern, and cut out the grip block on my bandsaw.

I then split the piece in two, giving me both outside pieces of the grip.

I then cut a piece of Bubinga to serve as the center of the grip.

Wow! That is some beautiful piece of maple. Looking forward to seeing some more. Gil

I cut a chunk out of the large Maple piece for the main I-beam in the riser.

Here's the I-beam piece I choose.

WOW! That's a really cool piece of Maple. Nice pick :-) JF

Here's all the pieces, ready for the drum sander. I'm making this riser 2" wide, so I'll run both I-beams at the same time.

Prettiest wood I ever saw. I can't wait to see it with finish on it. Keep it up and keep us posted.>>>------> Ken

Sometimes, but not often, I get a little snipe, but if I run the pieces thru like this, no problem. I hold them up to the light to make sure all surfaces have been sanded.

Now it's time for the grip pieces. Because they are so short, I put them on a sled covered with sandpaper.

All sanded to size, ready for glue. At this time, I always mark the edges of the block with a heavy felt pen so I know for sure how the fit. You may be sorry if you don't.

I clamp the pieces of each block together, mark some dots where I will drill them for 1/4" dowels and head to the drill press. I never have trouble with the pieces slipping out of place when I'm trying to clamp them up after applying the glue.

Great thread. Thanks

Drilling the dowel holes. Some folks might want to save those wedges, so you might want to devise another way to hold your boards together while trying to clamp them. This works best for me.

I buy the 1/4" pine dowels at Home Depot and cut them just short of the block thickness, about 1-7/8" for these 2" blocks. Be sure to check the dowel fit before you start gluing. In this case, the dowels were slightly too large, so I had to sand them down a bit on my drill press. You will ALWAYS face minor problems like this when bow making.

Ready for glue! I buy my mixing cups at our local Wesco Auto paint store, and they throw in free Bamboo mixing sticks. For small jobs, I buy large Popcicle sticks and straight mixing sticks at our local supermarket. I always use Smooth-On for ALL my gluing. I get my rubber gloves at Harbor Freight.

You mix smooth on at a 1 to 1 raito by volume or weight, and some folks use a grain scale to measure out the correct amount. I find that the ratio isn't too critical, and after building a hundred bows, I just mix by sight for the risers and accent pieces. I do usually measure for the limb laminations, though.

I always brush the pieces off before I glue, of use my compressor to blow off any dust. Be sure to mark the edges so you'll glue them in the right order!

Slop it on and spread out. DO NOT RUSH! Just make sure all surfaces are totally covered with glue. You must apply glue to both surfaces you are gluing...very important!

Put the pieces together (aren't you glad you marked them?)and push the dowels thru until they are just below the surfaces. Now you can clamp the boards together and they will not slip or slide around. I made some short pipe clamps especially for gluing riser blocks but always add several c-clamps to apply even pressure.

Clamped up!

See that 10" piece of galvanized pipe? I use it to apply more leverage to the clamps. I flattened one end to fit over the flat end of the pipe clamp handle. It sure save your hands from aches and pain and bruised knuckles.

That is going to be a beauty!

You'll always get glue on your hands and tools. I use this to clean up a bit. Don't worry about wiping glue drips off the clamped up blocks. You'll grind or sand the cured glue off later.

I used to throw the riser blocks in the heat box to cure, but not anymore. No matter how careful you are, some woods will "move" on you. Could be they're not totally dry. Even though they are clamped, some of the glue lines will separate. Now I just place them somewhere warm, like in front of my wood stove or over my baseboard heater or under a lamp. The glue will cure no matter what, and I've never had a glue joint fail. That's enough for today. Hope you enjoy Gonzaga winning their game today! I grew up in Spokane near the college and have many pleasant memories of that area. GO ZAGS!

This is going to be good.

Thanks for sharing.

From the appearance of the glue on the cut blocks, that is one going to be one figured and very beautiful bow.

-Bones

I'm enjoying the buildalong Richard, alot. Thanks for taking the time. JF

that is some stunning wood

How about those Zags?! Now if Oregon wins, it's an all West Coast final! Go Ducks!

And an all SEC match up for the girl's NCAA championship game tomorrow! :)

Hail State! Go Bulldogs!

Big congrats to the Zags!

I'm loving this build-a-long and can't wait for more pics

Thanks for the terrific build along. Just catchin' up with it. Deno

Good Morning All! It's a glorious sunny morning here in Olympia! Glue is all cured, so I sanded the edges of the grip and riser blocks.

Be sure to sand the glue from the dowels also, otherwise problems will occur when you make the required cuts with the band saw. I'm a fan of white or silver pens when it comes to marking dark woods. I marked the centerlines of the riser and grip and extended those lines down the edges of each block.

I'm ready to make the arc cut on each block. Here's my simple set-up on my old Delta bandsaw. I use double-sided tape to hold the blocks down. I stick my shop-vac nozzle under the saw table to catch the dust.

Done with the grip block! Go slow and steady. If you stop during the cut, you'll have a groove in the surface. And make sure you use a sharp bandsaw blade. I use a 3/8" blade for these cuts.

Now it's time for the riser. I want the cut to just hit the front of the small circle. The accent strips will fill in the space between the riser and the grip and hopefully be centered in the site window.

Cutting the arc. The plywood piece to the left supports the riser during the cut. Slow and steady...no stopping!

RATS!! I miss-measured the distance and took a little too much out of the riser! It's always something! But life goes on! Here's the completed blocks. The piece I cut out of the main riser will be saved and possibly be used in another bow.

I have a few from other bows...

Off to the spindle sander to perfect the fit between the two pieces. Sometimes they fit perfectly, but most times they both need a little work. Sometimes they fight you, but don't let them win!

Close enough for me! Any minor gaps will be filled in by the accent strips and epoxy.

Now I must make the grip accents. Here's a riser showing what they'll look like, but what woods shall I use? I finally chose Wenge-Maple-Wenge. When it's finished, the Wenge will appear almost black, and I'll use that wood to also wrap the entire riser. It will make a nice contrast against the light Bamboo limb cores.

Nemah, May I ask a couple of questions? I want to make sure I understand. The bow parts are taped to the top of the jug, right? The jig is on a pivot, right? Doesn't the band saw blade still want to walk? I don't understand the little circle. It is tangent to the curved line. What is the purpose? To check that the cut is in the exact place on the line,on both ends and the middle,could you remove the blade? Then rotate the jig watching or using short piece of blade or material in the saw guides? I need to make accurate cuts as I am prone to messing things up on the spindle sander. Then it takes for ever to get a good fit. Thanks a bunch. >>>------> Ken

I cut out the required pieces on my bandsaw. I found a nice, figured piece of Maple for the center, so it should look great.

I ran all the accent pieces thru the sander to obtain the correct thickness and then clamped them into the riser to see what they'll look like. They look good, so it's off to the glue table.

This is when you get a preview of the woods' character.

Clamped up! The two smaller clamps hold the strips in position so they won't slip. I remove them after the large clamps are tight, otherwise you'll glue them to the block.

While the glue is curing on the riser, I'll make the strips that line the outside of the entire riser. Here's a riser that has been wrapped with Padauk, but I'll use Wenge.

After cutting them out on my bandsaw, I run them thru the sander to get the thickness I want. Then I'll set them aside and move on to the limb cores.

I make ALL my bows with limb cores of vertical grained Bamboo which I cut from Bamboo flooring. I buy it by the case from a local flooring dealer.

I use my bandsaw to cut the flooring into the rough laminations that will make up the limb cores. These are 2" wide and .137" thick, and will be sanded down to achieve the correct draw weight of the finished bow.

Nemah, You can build faster than I type. I am enjoying this build along, and learning so much. You have 7 more posts while I was asking questions. Would you back track to my post please. Thanks again. <----< Ken

Now comes the math, a subject I struggled with all thru my school years! How thick will the Bamboo laminations have to be? Should I taper both, or only one? What thickness of glass should I use? Am I going to use colored glass or clear? If it's clear, what wood will show thru? How thick should that wood be? It's a tough subject, especially if you're just starting your first bow. Here's a few of the sources I've used. My bow booklet has the dimensions of every Kodiak Deluxe I've built, so now it's not so hard. What's crazy is I can make two identical bows of exactly the same material, using exactly the same measurements, and end up with 2 different draw weights! Go figure! That's all for today. I have some yard work to do and basketball to watch!

Just for those people who don't have the expertise of the OP, for your own projects:

The reason epoxy is supposed to be mixed accurately is because it is not catalyzed it is mixed. If you do not provide identical components, then you can't fully cross-link the mixture. It is basically like it is contaminated, though it is acceptable within certain limits, but those are generally that you actually try for a 100% mix. With a lot of epoxies you also have to be careful that the weight and volume mixes are actually both 50/50. That isn't all that common, be sure to check your instructions.

It is also important to realize that an I-beam is a directional structure, it is not uniformly strong. In areas where cost or weight are an issue, it allows one to have maximum strength and stiffness in one direction. But risers are structures with a complex load path, and they are mostly solid, and weight is not necessarily a problem. The sight window is a poor structure for an I-beam, as it ends up with the flange removed and the web on the wrong side of the structure. Of course in making an I-beam in a riser, it is possible to use materials in the I-beam (as is the case with fiberglass) that are stronger than the wood they replace. The issues arise when the non-I-beam components are weaker than ones would normally employ in that role. If you don't have hundreds of bows behind you, you might produce one like one custom I owned, that bent at the sight window.

Ken, Yes, I just tape the piece to be cut to the plywood table with double sided tape. The table turns on a pivot point. That little white circle on the riser hopefully will be the center of the site window and all 3 accents strips will fill it in. I don't seem to get any blade drift with a 3/8" blade, but you can use a 1/4" wide blade if you're worried. Thanks for the question...I hope I gave you a satisfactory answer! Richard

Looks like my note comparisons when I look through for a stack to hit my target wieght. Informative? buildalong and great pictures too. Thumbs up Richard. JF

Richard and Jeff, both of your build alongs are top shelf for sure. Thanks for taking the time and sharing! Very talented and beautiful works you make.

Good evening! I just couldn't wait so I sanded the glue gobs off the riser block so it would sit flat on the bandsaw.

Richard, that looks amazing. looking forward to more. Thank you.

All set up to cut out the riser shape. Notice my magnetic LED made in China light....super handy for this job!

All cut out! Sometimes cutting into wood is a little like opening a present! I always leave a little wood for the final fitting on my bow form.

Wow, that's really pretty! Several folks have asked why I never take orders. It's because I WANT to make this bow! I don't HAVE to make it! I woke up at 5 this morning, eager to work on it and rarin' to go! I would never feel that way if I had to make it a certain way and hit a certain draw weight for a customer. Someone will end up with this bow sooner or later and then I get another chance to create something new. I have no idea what the final draw weight will be on this bow. I'll shoot for a certain weight, but what if I'm off 5-8 pounds? I don't think a guy who want a 50 pounder would be happy with a 42. I'm just not that consistent with draw weights. So, now there is zero pressure on me if I just make what I like, and someone is kind enough to buy it. Life is good! Good night everyone! Sleep warm!

Love it!

Amazing build along. Shot a couple of your bows when I visited Jeff after his shoulder surgery. Proof is in the pudding, great job so far. Looking forward to the rest.

Richard, understand your desire to keep your bow building enjoyable and not getting caught up with time lines and expectations for customer orders...etc. Similar to the approach Brandon Stahl at Rose Oak has taken - build them on his own schedule and sell them as stock bows. But, how does one go about finding out when you have a bow available? - I would love to own one of your bows some day.

Great thread Nemah, and wonderful, creative, artwork! The craftsmanship is also well done, and it's really nice to see a true artisan at work! I too would entertain owning one of your creations. Thanks a lot, I know it's a real pain doing a complete build-a-long, Wyatt

Burnsie, I sent you a private reply.

Nemah, Let me know if you have one in the 43-45 pound range lying around gathering dust that you may want to move.

I love how these bows look, always eatching the classifieds for that low #50 beauty to show up when I have cash.

I love how these bows look, always eatching the classifieds for that low #50 beauty to show up when I have cash.

Happy Monday! I'll be shaping and wrapping the riser this morning. First, I want to make sure the riser is the correct length, so I'll measure it. The double ruled ruler is great for this!

I had to trim a little off both ends with the bandsaw. Now I'll begin to shape the riser with my sander for a perfect fit on the bow form. This takes a while. Patience is a virtue. Fit-sand-fit-sand-fit-sand-etc.

TA-DA! I'm happy with this fit, and it only took 10 minutes! Now it's off to the spindle sander to shape the other side.

But before I begin, I'll run the riser thru the drum sander to make sure both sides are flat. I should have done this before I fitted the riser to the form....I just forgot. But all seems square.

Here we go! Sand-sand-sand. I use a backer of Ebony to apply even pressure. I run my fingers over the riser length, feeling for little bumps or depressions, making sure the drum has hit every area.

Here's my backer board doing it's job at the fade-out. Be very careful here! Go very slow. Use light pressure. I want the fade-out to be VERY thin, but not shredded.

Finished! I'm happy with the fade-outs, so it's on wrapping the riser with trim strips, just like the 1960 original. They used Purpleheart on the bow I have, but I'll use Wenge. Here's the form I'll use. Always glue the belly strip on first, the side of the riser that faces you while shooting.

I buy rubber baseboard molding at Home Depot and cut strips to fit my form, one below and one above. Works for me. I use Saran Wrap to cover the lower molding and form. I hold the form in my bench vice for stability.

I like the trim to overhang the riser fade-out by 3/4" on both ends, so I use my silver pen to mark one end. Then I mark the center, and then the other end. I then cut the trim strip to fit perfectly.

Ready for glue! For small jobs, I buy the graduated medicine cups off EBay, a hundred at a time. Dirt cheap-free shipping. For medium jobs, I just use plastic cups from the supermarket. I use large popcicle sticks for mixing, but cut off one end of the stir stick to make sure I get all the epoxy out of the corners of the cup. I'll use a narrower, flexible putty knife for spreading the glue, as it will fit inside the plastic cup.

I used compressed air to clean off both surfaces, especially the Wenge. Lots of pores! Slop it on-spread it out! Wenge soaks up a lot of glue. Make sure all areas are covered.

I place the riser and trim strip in the form, fold the Saran wrap over, and use strapping tape to hold it down. I have to press down hard on the trim strips in the concave areas just before the fade-outs to make sure the trim contacts the riser. Also, I have to be careful not to trap the Saran Wrap in the glue joint.

On goes the rubber pad and the metal pressure strip. Strapping tape again.

A short piece of hose, especially for this purpose, is next. Bought mine at Binghams'.

On goes the other half of the form. I add about 60+ psi to the hose, add a valve cap, and either place the form on front of the wood stove or into the heat box. I have to head to town to run some errands, but I'll be back! Richard

I've been pondering the limb materials and draw weight question as I've built the riser. I've looked at hundreds of bows on the internet and decided I'll use curly Maple under clear glass. But I have a little surprise for you! Remember my trip to Sumner Woodworking? I found these great looking veneers used in furniture making and they're perfect! The wood is called Anegre or Anigre and comes from Africa. The sheets are uniform in color and texture and mic at a consistant .025", perfect for bow limb veneers! They look just like curly Maple. They are 34" long and about 5" wide.

These were $36.95 for a package of 5 and the Zebrawood was $26.99. Curly Maple laminations run about $20 a pair, or $40 for one bow. Nice, huh? Here's the address and website.

Great job Richard very nice bows!

Richard, any chance you will stain those veneers so the character will pop?

Looking great Richard :-) JF

It just keeps getting better! :)

It just keeps getting better! :)

I took the riser out of the form and sanded the glue gobs off.

I used the same sander to feather out the trim strip.

I measure the same as before....3/4" overhang on both ends and centerline marked. I then blew off the dust with my compressor and glued the parts up.

Ready for the glue to cure. I'll be back Tuesday afternoon. We're going smallmouth bass fishing in the morning, first time this year. Goodnight, all! Richard

Really enjoying your buildalong. Thank you for taking us along. Really makes me appreciate the amount of work that goes into one of our custom bows. Gil

Thanks for sharing your Bow build. Have fun fishing. JF

GREAT THREAD, and thanks for taking time to do it.

-Bones

Coming right along. Enjoying this. Thanks.

Wow!

We had a nice, sunny day on American Lake near Tacoma, WA., but it's still a little early and the water temp was 47 degrees, so no bass. The picture is the 17' "Scrambler", our fishing boat I built a few years ago from Glen-L plans. Back to bow building: After looking at all my records of previous bows I've made, the total thickness of the limbs at the fade-outs of this bow is going to measure .270", which SHOULD give me around 45# at 28". But who knows? Could be 50#, could be 40#. Another reason I don't take orders! I'll use.040" Crystal Clear Glass from OMC, the .025" Anegre veneers, and vertical grained bamboo. I'll get started on the limb materials first thing in the morning and glue up the bow tomorrow! Good Night, All! Richard

Love your Boat, as much as your bows, Nemah. Beautiful design and definitely looks like it fishes great; form and function, just like in your bows. Thanks for this great post. A joy to follow.

Thanks for doing this build along, I'm enjoying it a lot !

GLUE UP DAY! Here's the plan. My records show that a .270" stack at the fade-out of the Kodiak Deluxe copy will give me a bow of about 45#.

I run the Bamboo strips thru the sander, checking them often with the micrometer, until I get as close as I can. I'll error on the high side......I can always take pounds off, but I can't put pounds on. Here's my sleds.

Done to my satisfaction. Now I'll taper the ends to join them together.

Here's how I taper the ends of the lams. Make sure the disc and the guide fence are all square.

I run them very carefully! Watch out for your fingers! I always have a supply of band-aids on hand!

Five seconds later..... almost perfect tapers! Now I'll glue them together.

Here's my setup against the long table and backstop for my chop saw. The plastic folds under and over the glue joint to prevent sticking. I just use superglue....quick and easy.

Clamped up! Those were the tapers. Now I'll sand the parallels to size, taper them, and glue them up in the same manner.

When the superglue is dry, I sand the joints smooth, but not too much. Just enough to get and gobs of glue off.

I'm cutting the Anegre veneers to 2". Simple, if you use a sharp knife. I'll need 4 pieces total.

Done. On to tapering these thin veneers with the 12" disc sander.

I put a thicker scrap piece of Bamboo on the sandpaper side of the stack to prevent shredding. BE CAREFUL-GO SLOW-watch your fingers!

I glue them up the same way as the Bamboo lams. While they are drying, I'll prepare the glass. I use a stiff brush to clean the smooth glass surface, the side that will be on the surface of the limbs. Be very careful here! Do not run your fingers along the edges of the glass, or you'll be VERY sorry!! Invisible glass sliver!!! Very painful-impossible to remove!

I use easy release blue tape to protect the non-glue side of the glass. Don't worry that it does not reach all the way to the edges-you'll cut that part off anyway. You can buy special tape made for this step, if you want, at Binghams'. After you apply the tape, use a stiff brush to push it down, NOT YOUR FINGERS!

After marking the correct length of the glass, 65" in this case, I just cut it with my carbide blade on my chop saw. I ALWAYS wear a dust mask when cutting or grinding fiberglass! Use a backer board, or you'll be sorry!

After finding the center of the glass and marking it with a pen or pencil on the tape (do not mark on the rough side of the glass!), I use a triangle file to make a small groove in the glass edge that will be facing me when I glue up the bow. You only have to file the glass that is on the back of the bow, the side that faces toward the target.

I then fill it in with a fine point felt pen. Now you'll be able to see the exact center of the glass during glue-up. Very important.

Did you notice that I marked (on the tape) top and bottom? That will remind me where they go during glue-up. I also marked in pencil both Bamboo laminations telling me which is the top and lower limb. I oriented the tapered lamination glue joint to fall below the bows centerline to make the lower limb a bit stiffer, as it should be. Now I stack all lams and glass, in order, on the form. Dry run. Make sure all is good. Then double check it!

I prepare my glue up area by taping down a 12" wide roll of masking paper(Home Depot) about 7' long. Then I lay out all my lams in the order I'll glue them up, making sure the tapered lam will have the weaker end toward the upper limb. I double check the riser to make sure the fade-out is perfect and there are no glue gobs on the gluing surfaces.

Very nice and very talented this is why I quit building my own bows and went with bows built by people that know what they are doing. Can't wait for the rest.

I gather all I'll need to do a good job: strapping tape, paper towels, short bar clamp, long bar clamp, knife, Saran Wrap. Then I set out the Smooth-On glue, weight scale, mixing cup, stir sticks, rubber gloves, pressure hose, form bolts and nuts, wrench, rubber pressure strip, metal pressure strip, air pressure gauge, valve cap. I'll turn on the compressor and plug in the heat box. After double checking everything, I'll leave the shop, head to the house and have a snack and something to drink. Not alcohol. I'll sit down a moment and run the process over in my mind. Often I'll remember things I forgot to do.

So, here we go! First I brush off all surfaces to be glued with a stiff, clean brush. My glass strips were very dirty, so I gave them a wipe down with acetone.(Some folks say no to this step, but I works for me.)