How to Cut Laminated Fiberglass Bow Limbs With a Jigsaw
- 1). Place a metal cutting, or specialty fiberglass cutting blade into your jigsaw and secure in place by tightening the retaining screw.
- 2). Draw an outline for how you would like the limbs to be shaped. This line should be made dark enough to see while cutting. Don't forget to add the bowstring notches and any other detail you wish along the limb edges.
- 3). Clamp the limb in a vise to keep it from moving while cutting. You will need to readjust the limb in the vise to keep the limb from vibrating while cutting. Try to keep the area you are working on as close to the vise as possible, adjusting it as necessary. The time used to adjust the limb in the vise should also be used to allow the jigsaw blade to cool, because the hotter the blade gets, the faster it will become dull.
- 4). Cut along the drawn line with the jigsaw guide plate pressed directly against the limb of the bow, stopping whenever the limb begins to vibrate, making the drawn line difficult to follow. Keep an eye on the blade every time you stop cutting for readjustment. Cutting fiberglass will dull any blade quickly, leading to a rough cut and uneven edges.
- 5). Wrap a sheet of 200-grit sandpaper around a block and sand the edges smooth using even and long strokes along the sides of the bow limb. Progress to lighter grades of sandpaper, working toward a 440-grit sandpaper before staining, painting or varnishing the bow limbs.
