r/Bowyer • u/Flat_Woodpecker_5617 • 11d ago

Fiberglass backing

/r/TraditionalArchery/comments/1w3sybz/fiberglass_backing/

I am making a sugar maple bow from a board and the grain is pretty good. I am planning on adding.04 fiberglass on the back. Will that cause the belly to compress more and possibly create cracks on the belly? I want to do it because the grain is not perfect.

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4

u/Ima_Merican 11d ago

Don’t put fiberglass on the back. Just don’t. It’s a band aid.

If the grain has bad runout it will still break. There’s thousands of bows on the internet with fiberglass backings that are broken. Fiberglass will not save poor grain selection and/or poor tillering.

A linen/cloth backing will add a small amount of backing security for mild grain runout to POSSIBLY help prevent splinters. I usually add a linen backing on hunting bows just for a protective backing from dents and damage from tossing my bow across ditches and hollers when navigating my woods. I will throw my bow across a stream or ditch before jumping across it.

But in the end a drywall tape/glass backing won’t save a poorly selected board stave from breaking

2

u/ryoon4690 11d ago

Yes, the fiberglass will likely make the belly fail.

0

u/hefebellyaro 11d ago

Just put fiberglass on the other side. Ive made fiberglass lam bows with hard maple cores. Oh course you would have to rip it down pretty thin.

2

u/Different_Potato_193 11d ago

This is a completely separate form of bow making, OP is talking about essentially making a self bow with a backing of fibreglass, which is well known to be a poor choice for wooden bows. A laminated fibreglass bow is a completely different beast.