killzonearchery

what do you all think about haveing bamboo bows? I think it is a good wood but i dont know about for a bow.

24/7 hunter

I built a bamboo bow with 2 lams of boo flooring and a raw boo backing. It is real fast and has almost no handshock. Bamboo is actually a grass, not a wood.Are you thinking of buying a bamboo bow or building one? If you want to build one I could tell you about a guy on a site that has made hundreds of boo bows. Im sure he'd be glad to help you.

Arthur P

Bamboo is great for longbows. Not so great for recurves, from what I hear.

BobCo19-65

My Howard Hill longbow has five laminations of bamboo (ebony riser). It was Howards personal favorite wood (grass) for limbs on his longbows. This is by far the lightest bow that I own and also the quietest. I also have Bamboo laminations on my Adcock (and former MOAB), but by the design of the bow you do not notice it as much.

bigcountry

Dadgone bob, I bet that bow is fast?

BobCo19-65

Don't know exactly how fast, the bow is 74#'s at 29" and shoots 2216's with a 200 grain tip with some realauthority though.

LBR

A lot of it depends on the bow design, and who you ask. Saw an interesting thread on this same subject recently--suprised me how many folks were indifferent to bamboo, and how many preferred yew (my favorite, especially in a longbow).

Not all bamboo is equal either. Howard Hill used a particular type called Tonkin cane. I'm not sure if it was tempered or not. As I understand it, Tonkin cane only grows in one small area and is very difficult to obtain these days.

I've talked to bowyers that swore by it, many that were indifferent to it, and some that won't use it. My favorite bowyer doesn't offer it because, in their testing with their designs, they found no benefits vs. yew. Bamboo is more expensive for them to get, more work, can be less durable (due to it being a grass, and the nodes), and there were no benefits. I honestly think some may use it just because of the reputation it got from Howard Hill.

I'd imagine if a bow was designed around bamboo limbs it could make more of a difference. I don't believe it's a magic material though, just like I don't believe there are any magic bows.

Chad

bigcountry

Well, your twice the man I am to shoot a 74# bow like that.

BobCo19-65

It's not about being a man or the size of muscles. Have you ever seen Howard Hill shoot bows over 100#'s. He did it with ease and he was in no way a huge man. It's all about conditioning.

Heck, when I started getting into canoeing, I saw a woman not more then 100 pounds pick up a canoe over her head and start down the trail with ease. I tried the same and took a rest after 10 yards [:@]. And I was huge compared to her.

Went to a nearby farm once to get some hay for my cousins horse, and a girl of about 100 pounds again loaded the truck with bails, one in each hand. Don't even want to mention my partisipation. [:@]

Good post Chad, and I agree that there is debate over bamboo. Some bowyers use is exclusively on their high end bows longbows, and some won't use it at all. Also agree on the variations. You can add actionboo into the mix also. Craig at HH is now beginning to offer a cross laminated bamboo option also. I believe it is different from the actionboo in that he laminated them himself.

I wouldn't deny that statement. That probably describes some of my thought not just on the bamboo part though.I have my head shaking over the guy often in admiration.

bigcountry

Bob, seems like I take 3 steps forward and 2 back with conditioning. I shoot for a while, get conditioned, and then my shoulder starts hurting, and take a break, now I am back to shooting again.