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Author Topic: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows  (Read 6180 times)

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Offline jp gray

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want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« on: March 27, 2009, 10:02:02 pm »
where do i start. i know i need a stave,but what tools do i need ,and what book to help me .i got the itch will bad!
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john paul gray

whitewoodshunter

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Re: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2009, 10:16:29 pm »
Well i would start out with a good book Traditional bowyers bible, a hand rasp and a draw knife and some scrapers
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Offline Hillbilly

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Re: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2009, 10:20:41 pm »
I would start with the Traditonal Bowyer's Bible series. You can get them from the Horsefeathers Ranch link at the top of the page. Hunting the Osage Bow by Dean Torges is another good one, as is Bows and Arrows of the Native Americans by Jim Hamm. And this forum is chock full of info, also. As for tools, you can make a bow with anything from a shop full of modern power tools all the way down to a sharp rock. A good basic handtool kit would be a drawknife, rasp, cabinet scrapers, and a hatchet.
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Smoky Mountains, NC

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Progress might have been all right once but it's gone on for far too long.

Offline redwasp

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Re: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« Reply #3 on: March 27, 2009, 11:48:41 pm »
maybe a machete too. Dont get a tiller stick. Set up a pulley system so you can stand away in case of a blow up.
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If one man can do it, another man can do it. Richard......Northeastern PA.

Offline NOMADIC PIRATE

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Re: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« Reply #4 on: March 28, 2009, 03:31:34 am »
get a nice Osage stave, look at it, caress it, than put it away for later,.....read all those pubblications and at the same time work on a few non expensive woods to practice the use of tool and the eye for the bending wood, after a few of them and plenty reading it will all make sense and your Osage stave will be a great bow
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NORTH SHORE, HAWAII

Offline Eric Krewson

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Re: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« Reply #5 on: March 28, 2009, 10:03:15 am »
Well John, head up to the Tn Classic, lots of staves and about 35 people making bows from Wednesday to Sunday. Not a bow making class as such but plenty of us guys around to head you in the right direction. You are also welcome to spend a day in my shop learning the basics anytime you want to.
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Offline Kegan

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Re: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2009, 10:08:59 am »
Quote from: NOMADIC PIRATE on March 28, 2009, 03:31:34 am
get a nice Osage stave, look at it, caress it, than put it away for later,.....read all those pubblications and at the same time work on a few non expensive woods to practice the use of tool and the eye for the bending wood, after a few of them and plenty reading it will all make sense and your Osage stave will be a great bow

I second that. Unless you live in an Osage haven, you'll wind up wishing you had done a few "practice" bows with cheaper or more easily available woods.
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Offline Ryano

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Re: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2009, 10:15:47 am »
Check here. http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/board,29.0.html
The info the others have given you is great....
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Its November, I'm gone hunt'in.......
Osage is still better.....

Offline sailordad

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Re: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« Reply #8 on: March 28, 2009, 10:28:46 am »
i agree with manny
get a nice piece of osage and caress it and put it away and practice on a few other more readily availible woods.
get some inexpensive tools,reading well its good but in my opinion can be over rated  you cant ask a book q's and get answers.
i never read or owned a book on bow building,everything i know came from trial and error and most came from the good and knowledgible folks on this site.
the money spent on  books could habve ben spent on tools.
 jp youve been here long enough to have read alot of post and you know the people here are going to help out.
good luck,gotta go now its nice enough out today to shoot in the backyard and i got three that need to be shot in. ;D

                                                                                 peace,
                                                                                        tim
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i always wanted a harley,untill it became the "thing to ride"
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Offline Sidewinder

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Re: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« Reply #9 on: March 28, 2009, 01:35:34 pm »
Kegan,
          I do live in osage heaven and I still think your advise about practicing on less expensive woods is good. The first harvest I did was outstanding osage and Its almost all gone due to bows, breaks, trades and selling a few. I wished I had more discipline to have waited to work that stuff and then I might still have some thats cured. enough to work. I have about a hundred primo osage staves in the shed but they are all drying out right now and only about 5or 6 that are ok to work. If I could give a new guy any good advise is to start harvesting your own right now and in a year it will be ready to work. In the mean time build some board bows and by the time the good stuff is cured enough to work you should have enough experieince with tillering to make them count. Now if a guy does'nt want to go to all the trouble to harvest his own he can always buy one when he knows he is ready to take the plunge and pony up the money for a good one. The important thing is to build your expereince and confidence cheaply so that it doesn't hurt quite so bad if and when you fail, because you will have failures. Thats how we learn in life is'nt it?   Danny
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"You know a tree by the fruit it bears"   God

Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« Reply #10 on: March 28, 2009, 09:32:48 pm »
You guys with the caressing of your staves. "Hon, will you get my last osage bow for me I wanna hold it while I watch TV?" Jawge
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Set Happens!
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Offline Sidewinder

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Re: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« Reply #11 on: March 29, 2009, 01:53:52 am »
George I beleive it is a "syndrome" for which there is no cure.   Danny
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"You know a tree by the fruit it bears"   God

Offline Hoodoo

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Re: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« Reply #12 on: March 29, 2009, 04:43:20 pm »
In my own opinion and many others i would start of by purchasing The Traditional Bowyer's Bible(Volume one). I got mine of amazon for under twenty dollars....
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Offline Pat B

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Re: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« Reply #13 on: March 29, 2009, 05:43:38 pm »
If you can only buy one of the TBB series I would suggest book #1. With that book, and of course advise from us  ;D , you can build a bow!
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Sidewinder

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Re: want to start makeing my own osage selfbows
« Reply #14 on: March 30, 2009, 03:43:43 am »
I agree with Pat.    Danny
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"You know a tree by the fruit it bears"   God
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