Shopsmith Forums

Those who make bows, if you make a bow that is laminated what is your adhesive of choice? It obviously needs to be very strong and very flexible...


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From the practical sense epoxy would most likely be the glue of choice. A bow would need to be able to withstand extreme temperature and moisture levels and also it is strong enough to withstand the flexing a bow would undergo.
Paul

beeg wrote:I just saw on PBS, Woodsmith shop. They used contact cement for glue up of a tambour door. Which wood flex a lot.

I think that would locate the 'flex' where it is least desirable.

I have a friend that makes very nice recurve and long bows. I emailed him, will let you know.

He reports that he uses Smooth On, a two part epoxy. works well on wood and fiberglass. His bows are beautiful an work very well.

pinebeetle wrote:He reports that he uses Smooth On, a two part epoxy. works well on wood and fiberglass. His bows are beautiful an work very well.

Thanks Pinebeetle, I'll look for that. I want to make some "refinements" to the bow I made quickly a couple of years ago at an "event".
I then want to make a new one from scratch laminated from about 3 kinds of wood.
The first one was made from a very invasive species of buckthorn that is about to take over many woods here in Central Indiana. It is remarkably strong, usually grows with a slight curve in it, is generally knot free and rives very straight and smooth.
The next one I want to try to laminate a layer of ash, osage-orange/hedge and buckthorn. Beyond lamination it will not be anything fancy.
The first one was hand made around a campfire as a for fun only survival skills test We were allowed to have a hatchet, drawknife, spokeshave and a knife. The second one I want to make in my shop.


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beeg wrote:I just saw on PBS, Woodsmith shop. They used contact cement for glue up of a tambour door. Which wood flex a lot.

the wood on tambour doors does not flex. Narrow pieces of wood are glued to canvas and any flexing is the canvas that is between the wood strips. Like a hinge.

Ed in Tampa wrote:

beeg wrote:I just saw on PBS, Woodsmith shop. They used contact cement for glue up of a tambour door. Which wood flex a lot.

the wood on tambour doors does not flex. Narrow pieces of wood are glued to canvas and any flexing is the canvas that is between the wood strips. Like a hinge.

The old timey tambour doors had a cylinder and trough shape on opposite edges and no canvas. Also thicker by necessity.

JPG wrote:

Ed in Tampa wrote:

beeg wrote:I just saw on PBS, Woodsmith shop. They used contact cement for glue up of a tambour door. Which wood flex a lot.

the wood on tambour doors does not flex. Narrow pieces of wood are glued to canvas and any flexing is the canvas that is between the wood strips. Like a hinge.

The old timey tambour doors had a cylinder and trough shape on opposite edges and no canvas. Also thicker by necessity.

I don't know what you mean by "old timey" but when tambour was introduced in the late 18th Century it was thin and glued to cloth. Maybe you refer to "roll top" furniture which is a later development.