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How to Make Laminate Wood for a Bow

Making your own laminate wood for a bow gives you the chance to select any combination of woods you desire, according to the specific characteristics of the wood, along with their natural pattern and color. Good choices for the core, or inner part of the laminate, are celery top pine, rock maple, Tasmanian myrtle or red elm. Woods often selected for the outer parts of the "wood sandwich" are American walnut, blackwood, Canadian rock maple and Zebrano.

Things You'll Need

4 Strips of wood (2 outer, 2 inner)
Acetone
Rag
Epoxy glue
Spreader

Instructions

- 1
  Cut the wood slightly bigger than your bow design specifications to allow for subsequent shaping, bearing in mind that each strip should be a quarter of the intended final bow thickness.
- 2
  Wipe down all the wood with acetone to clean the surfaces for gluing.
- 3
  Following bow maker Dan Bertalan's advice to use epoxy glue for its strength, spread glue on one face of one of the two outer strips of wood.
- 4
  Spread glue on one face of one of the two inner strips of wood. Press the two glued surfaces together.
- 5
  Follow the same procedure for the other outer and inner strips.
- 6
  Spread glue on the two remaining inner faces. Press the two glued surfaces together. Wrap the whole assemblage in filament strapping tape. Leave to cure.

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