Something a little bit different

[tcshad]

Hi There folks,

I'm a Capoeira player and we use a traditional Brazilian instrument called Berimbau.

They look similar to a bow, and in fact the first thing you usually hear when you start teaching people about it is "hey is that a bow?"

Anyways, Usually they are imported from brazil and made of saplings cut from a tree similar to a custard apple. I'm interested in making them from something local, and preferably something like the bamboo floorboards to begin with to try and keep things cheap.

The original instrument looks like this:
http://www.capoeira-auvergne.com/en/wp- ... baus04.jpg


And what I'm looking to make is more like this: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/23 ... cff827.jpg

The difference between this and a bow is that we actually don't want the instrument to bend any more then what it is in the picture. It simply needs to be flexible enough to bend, or already be that shape and be strong enough not to bend any more and keep tention on the metal wire string, which is played by hitting it with a small stick.

I would love to hear any input you guys may have on suitable wood i should try using from bunnings or masters or one of the major hardware stores. And if anyone is in canberra willing to give me a hand with some experimentation, please hit me up. I'm very new to anything woodwork.

[woodie]

I can't see why you could not use red oak or tassy oak or even both and make a form and clamp it up.
I don't think you would have to use epoxy to glue it up as it is not flexing like a bow dose.
This is just my thoughts others may have different ideas.
woodie

[rodlonq]

The difference between this and a bow is that we actually don't want the instrument to bend any more then what it is in the picture. It simply needs to be flexible enough to bend, or already be that shape and be strong enough not to bend any more and keep tention on the metal wire string, which is played by hitting it with a small stick.

G'day tcshad and welcome to Oxbow.

Looks like uninteresting project .

I think you need to find the middle ground. A square section of laminated materials like you want is very strong so you will have to make it roughly the right shape to start with. In saying that, nothing is strong enough that it won't bend any more, at least not a little bit. I would make a form that builds in maybe 80 or 90 % of the bend and use the string tension to make the rest of the bend. If you try to bend a straight stack that short, by that far, I suspect the string tension may split the stack down the middle like a cheese cutter. Out of interest, how long is the instrument and how far between the string and the frame of it? Also is that a coconut fixed to it?

Have a look at Wayno's camp axe, http://www.ozbow.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=15888 the red cedar and bamboo make an attractive combination of colours.

Cheers... Rod

[greybeard]

The green timber could be bent to the required shape and allowed to dry in that shape otherwise wet or dry heat could be used on dry timber to obtain the shape.

From Wiki;

“Young Biriba trees are traditionally used as the main bow of the Afro-Brazilian instrument Berimbau, named after the Biriba tree.

The Berimbau consists of a wooden bow (verga – traditionally made from Biriba wood, which grows in Brazil), about 4 to 5 feet long (1.2 to 1.5 m).

The berimbau's quality does not depend on the length of the verga or the size of the gourd, rather on the diameter and hardness of the verga's wood and the quality of the gourd.

The wood of the tree is yellow, hard, heavy, and strong and is used for ribs for canoes, boat masts, boards and boxes.”

http://capoeira-connection.com/capoeira ... -berimbau/

There is quite a lot of information on the net regarding the topic.

Daryl.

[tcshad]

G'day tcshad and welcome to Oxbow.

Looks like uninteresting project .

I hope you meant "an interesting project"

I think you need to find the middle ground. A square section of laminated materials like you want is very strong so you will have to make it roughly the right shape to start with. In saying that, nothing is strong enough that it won't bend any more, at least not a little bit. I would make a form that builds in maybe 80 or 90 % of the bend and use the string tension to make the rest of the bend. If you try to bend a straight stack that short, by that far, I suspect the string tension may split the stack down the middle like a cheese cutter. Out of interest, how long is the instrument and how far between the string and the frame of it? Also is that a coconut fixed to it?

Cheers... Rod

My one that I have is about 1.6m They range from about 1.2 to 1.6. The resonator is a dried hollow gourd. The string does bend the instrument a bit. I should take some photos of mine stung and unstrung. At the top of a traditional berimbau is some thick leather to stop the wire splitting the wood. I would have to fashion something similar to protect the "modern" berimbau I want to make.

My intention is to make the modern one quite a bit stronger(but hopefully light) than the traditional one, with the curve already in, and then use piano wire and a tuning key like for a guitar.

Because the instrument doesn't actually bend uniformly, the distance between the string and the frame varies, but it's no more than 10cm at the widest part I would say

[tcshad]

The green timber could be bent to the required shape and allowed to dry in that shape otherwise wet or dry heat could be used on dry timber to obtain the shape.

From Wiki;

“Young Biriba trees are traditionally used as the main bow of the Afro-Brazilian instrument Berimbau, named after the Biriba tree.

The Berimbau consists of a wooden bow (verga – traditionally made from Biriba wood, which grows in Brazil), about 4 to 5 feet long (1.2 to 1.5 m).

The berimbau's quality does not depend on the length of the verga or the size of the gourd, rather on the diameter and hardness of the verga's wood and the quality of the gourd.

The wood of the tree is yellow, hard, heavy, and strong and is used for ribs for canoes, boat masts, boards and boxes.”

http://capoeira-connection.com/capoeira ... -berimbau/

There is quite a lot of information on the net regarding the topic.

Daryl.

Hi Daryl,

you are right there is heaps of information on the traditional biriba berimbau, I even have one... but biriba isn't available in Australia and I have no way to get saplings with the right characteristics, nor the time to let them dry for a year etc etc. So I want to make something that is a more manufactured berimbau, that I could replicate with something purchased from a hardware store.

Ideally I would one day like trying to make one from a stave like a "primitive" bow but again don't know where to get those and I would want some good skills before I try something like that. I'd much rather spend $10 for some bamboo floorboards to play with in the mean time, or whatever other recommendations people have.