Too much character?

[JW_Halverson]

Better wood yields better bows, period.

Bad wood yields better bowyers, exclamation mark.

No guts - no glory, glad to see you going for it!

[gstoneberg]

Well, I'd hoped that nice big top ring would work out for the bow's back, but some of it was still white and as I feared the borers are giving me trouble.  I'm down another ring and I'm still not out of the woods.



Here's the end of the stave now:



I'll go down one more ring and see if that works, but I'm afraid that big ring 2 down is gonna end up the bow's back.

George

[gstoneberg]

I could use some advice.  I encountered a little knot right at the outside edge of the job in the bow.  That's really a bad place for it, but I decided to go ahead and let the wood ride up there.  Of course, that made it more challenging to follow the growth ring there.  I think I got side tracked, and just beyond that knot I cut too deep in the top ring.  You can see it just to the right of the knot on the lower part of the limb.  This ring is only about a 16th inch thick, have I toasted this ring?



This brings me to question #2.  The wood is stained around that bend, probably from water damage.  In my experience dark wood like that is harder and more brittle.  Am I wasting my time with this piece of wood?  I could just sinew back it and be done with it?  Here's a shot of the staining.



I guess I could try removing another growth ring and see if the wood is better deeper.  The next ring down is much thicker.  I'm leaning towards doing that, and this time I'll probably just cut through that knot.  I think it'll be well inside the limb.

Thanks,
George

[Bowskin]

as far as the knot, when i have encountered those, i always leave an extra ring on the top for the time being, and come back to them later with scrapers and files teensy dust shavings at a time if i have to. 

[mullet]

 And heated super glue.

[George Tsoukalas]

Go up along the right for a foot, down the middle and down the left. Any ring searching is done on the edges. That  way of you make a mistake it will come out on the shaping. For the knot go up the right around the knot and down the middle. To me when I encounter the darker wood it's an indicator of denser wood. You'll have to look at it closely. I'm tough on myself. If I make a ring violation I start again unless it is on the edges and will come out. Have fun. Jawge

[gstoneberg]

OK, thanks for the help.   George