By Johan Smit

Before you make your own laminated bow, you need to build a laminating oven or heat box. This is not as daunting a task as it may sound, as most of the material you need is readily available and the construction is fairly easy, except perhaps for the thermostat used to control the heat of the oven.

The oven should maintain a temperature of between 60o and 80o Celsius. Its total length should be around 48 inches (this would accommodate a takedown bow). I recommend building a full-length oven from the outset, as experience has taught me that you will eventually try to build different bow models.

Besides the thermostat, you will need two 4" x 8" sheets of 1/2" exterior plywood, cut according to the dimensions described below. You can use #18" or 3/4" ply if you wish. Additionally, you will need an 8" length of 2" x 2" board, a box of 1" grabber screws, four surface-mounted light bulb sockets, and eight 3/4" number six round-head wood screws, small enough to fit through their mounting holes. You will also need wood glue, four hinges (or a piano hinge about seven feet long), three good-sized handles, two 8" lengths of No 14 insulated wire (one black, the other white), an enclosed, surface-mounted electrical switch, and a length of heavy-duty electrical cord with plug. The cord should be able to comfortably carry eight amps. You'll also need a roll of aluminium foil, preferably heavy duty.

Cut the oven pieces from the _" plywood, two 12" x 88" pieces for the top and bottom, and two 22" x 87" pieces for the front and back. The two end pieces should each be 12" x 2".

Lay the end pieces over the end grain of the front and back pieces so that the combination of the end, front and back pieces form the total length of the box. Glue and screw them together. Next, fit the top and bottom pieces flush with the others and glue and screw them in too.

If you want to build a really strong box, cut 2" x 2" pieces to fit each corner and affix them with glue and screws. Measure six inches down from the top of the box and make a line showing the location of a cut, which will divide the box into two parts: box and lid. At this point, get someone to help you, and cut off the lid area using an appropriate saw. Don't try to do it alone!

Now for the electrical work. In the lid, install four light bulb fixtures along the length of the box lid. Use screws that are just long enough to hold the fixtures firmly, but which do not protrude through the wood. Wire the sockets in parallel using No 14 insulated wire. Be careful! As you do the wiring, don't do anything that might cause someone to receive an electrical shock. Drill a hole in the end of the lid, large enough to bring out the wire leading to the light fixtures, and install a surface mounted switch. Attach a line cord to the switch, with a plug that can be plugged into an electrical outlet. Measure in 3" from the end of the lid and cut the hot wire for insertion of the thermostat.

A word about the thermostat. It is used to maintain the necessary heat range within the oven, and must be installed 14"or more from the nearest light bulb in order to function properly. Install it about 3" in from the end of the oven box, where you cut the hot wire. Wrap the exposed terminals in electrical tape to prevent any hand contact. Next, line the inside of the box and lid with the aluminium foil using a stapler. Again, be careful! Aluminium foil is a conductor of electricity and therefore must not come in contact with the light socket or thermostat terminals.

Now install the four hinges or piano hinge along the back of the box. Screw handles to each end of the box and place a handle on the lid. Finally, place an ordinary 200-watt light bulb in each socket. Do not use heat lamps, as they might cause hot spots which could destroy bow laminations. Check your connections one more time, and test the oven.

The take-down recurve laminating oven is constructed similarly to the 68" long bow and recurve bow (one piece), but is downsized to dimensions 12" wide, 24" high and 48" long. It uses only two light fixtures of 200 Watt bulbs, wire, screws, glue, switch and, of course, a thermostat to maintain the temperature range.

Construction and assembly procedures should be followed precisely. Always test your oven before using it.

A useful tip: I drilled a small hole in the top centre, left and right side of the oven to take the size of a Weber thermometer. This enables me to view the temperature inside the box and ensure proper heat distribution. If you use heavy watt light bulbs, such as 150 or even 200 Watts, you can install a normal rheostat switch (similar to that of a normal stove or oven). This will ensure that the heat is distributed more evenly and not concentrated around one spot, such as the light bulbs.