New osage bow questions.

[rileyconcrete]

Hey all.

I recently got a roughed out osage blank from yazoo.  I have it cut dowm to 67", the limbs are 1.5" to mid limb and then taper to 3/4" at the nocks.  It is a flatbow design, and i am having a hard time deciding what the limb thickness should be from the fades out to the tips. Is there any standards for this?  I had a hard time tillering my first bow and really want to try and make this one easier.  Any help here would be appreciated. Thanks Guys.
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[GregB]

That is the typical limb width I've been making my osage bows lately...with that said I usually layout the bow thickness initially at between 9/16" to 5/8" at the fades, that dimension then gradually tapers to a 1/2" to 9/16" thickness at mid limb and continues midlimb thickness to the tips. This is for a bow that has the same limb width (not thickness) from handle to midlimb and then tapers to the tips.

These are "roughed in" dimensions I use to start the floor tiller process with. For instance, I lay out the bow to these dimensions and then cut to them with a bandsaw at which point I'm done with the bandsaw and start using rasps and scrappers for floor tillering and final tillering. This works for me, others I'm sure do differently...

[bigcountry]

Hey all.

I recently got a roughed out osage blank from yazoo.  I have it cut dowm to 67", the limbs are 1.5" to mid limb and then taper to 3/4" at the nocks.  It is a flatbow design, and i am having a hard time deciding what the limb thickness should be from the fades out to the tips. Is there any standards for this?  I had a hard time tillering my first bow and really want to try and make this one easier.  Any help here would be appreciated. Thanks Guys.
Tell

I would floor tiller it and let the bow make tha decision. 

[Dano]

Greg's right on!!

[Pat B]

What Greg said!!!    Till, it becomes easier with experience, not with cutting corners(so to speak). Going about it the way Greg suggests will give you plenty of wood to work with as you seek and find tiller and allows you enough wood so you can not only build a well tillered bow but achieve the weight you ultimately want.
   Leave your handle area and tips wide for now so you can make adjustments later without effecting the draw weight.

[rileyconcrete]

Thanks guys.

I think I am pretty much to the point that Greg described. So I guess the next step is to start tillering.  I will start that process and take my time and will post pics on here so you guys can help me out with it.  I relly appreciate all the help you guys give.
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[rileyconcrete]

Here are some pictures of the bow.  I hope you guys can help me along with tillering this one.  I have it bending a little. I have just been scraping it with my pocket knife. should i use a rasp more? how much wood should come off before the limbs really start to bend?
Thanks again

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[Pat B]

Can we have a pic of the side profile so we can see how thick it is now?

[rileyconcrete]

here are the profiles

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[rileyconcrete]

one more

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[Pat B]

At that length is should be bending enough for floor tillering to see if the limbs are bending evenly. If you are past that point put on a long string and see how she bends with a few inches of tip movement. Remember to exercise the bow well after you remove wood but before you pull it past those inches. Go slowly and remove wood slowly until you are sure both limbs are bending evenly and together.  Looks like one fade might be a bit thin so be careful not to stress it there. The leverage of the limbs puts a lot of strain on the fade area.

[GregB]

If you have some even bending happening on your limbs while floor tillering you should probably go to the long string like Pat suggested.

Take it gradual and strive for an even curve, staying off any area that is over bending in relation to the rest of the limb until it evens out. Also after each scrapping I always check my limb thickness from one side of the limb to the other full length of each limb to keep the thickness even. It's very easy to get on side thinner then the other pretty quick if you're not paying attention to it.

Looks like your bow has some good character to it! Good luck!