Taking the plunge, or The Bow Who Lived (w/ full draw pic!)

[Frode]

So, after being on the road for a few days, stuck in a room with people teaching other people how to have ideas about things they already do for a living...
I came home and totally lost my train of thought on the hickory/elm longbow I was working on, saw the posts of all the recent explosions and de-laminations, stared at all the new pins and odd streaks cropping up in the elm  , and decided to let that one lay for a bit.

I have a quarter log of osage, well seasoned, with a crack (check?) in one end that seemed like a natural place to try splitting off a stave (yes, I have actually never split wood before  ).  For those of you who actually do know how to work wood (which I believe would be all of you, except me), it would have been high comedy to see me on the floor of the Underground Lair, with a camp ax, a mallet and a couple of accidental wedges, teasing this thing into two pieces.  But tease it did, and with enough left over for a real bow if this doesn't go well.  And even if it doesn't go well, it gives me a chance to practice chasing a ring.
And finally, here's my question; as you can see, this stave has a pretty good twist from end to end, as well as being a bit snaky.  Oh, and, it's 74" long, 1 3/8" wide in the middle.

Should I try straightening it now, or should I get it closer to the shape of a bow first?
As always, your help is greatly appreciated,
Frode




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[Pat B]

That is a challenging piece of osage but if any wood will work, osage will!     I would take it down to floor tiller stage, determine where the bow is in the stave and remove all but 66" that will be your bow. At that time you can clamp it to a form and remove most of the twist(unless it was removed when you reduced the stave) with dry heat. By removing wood from both ends you should be able to remove and end checks.

[walkabout]

i agree with pat, get it floor tilered and roughed before you try straightening, less wood to move.looks like a great stave though.

[Frode]

Thanks Pat and walkabout!  I don't have any illusions or expectations about this one, other than it being a chance to practice on osage.  If the bow gods declare it a walking stick, I'll still be a happy camper (but a working bow sure would be nice  ).  I'll post as I go, but this may be a slow one.
Thanks,
Frode

[JW_Halverson]

Oh, Frode...she's beautiful, just beautiful.  I love that stave, just the right amount of snake to it, and I never worry about twist (ain't that right, sidewinder???)

If it really scares you, I'll get a straight piece sent to you if you send me this one!  But I think she only has eyes for you.  Remember, watch out for the bows and women, their curves can throw you for a loop!

[Parnell]

I like that stave!  I'm getting ready to post my first osage bow, soon.  I had to straighten it out about 3" and remove some twist.  I tried when the wood was far too thick.   Get it to near bow dimensions, slightly thicker, and you will be amazed at how easily you can work the wood.  I did mine by hand using the driveway floor and the garage door wall for leverage.  Worked great!  I'm glad i took my time with mine but had I known how much of a joy the Osage is to work, I would have moved much more quickly with the stave. 
I say jump in and enjoy the swim!

[Frode]

...remove all but 66" that will be your bow...

Pat, on further inspection, whoever set this log up sealed it up right, and near as I can tell the crack I used to split it is the only checking, so that's a relief.  Just out of curiosity, why 66"?  I like the length (66"), seems like a good manageable sized bow, but I wondered if you saw something in the stave (width, amount of snake?) that suggested that particular length?

Oh, Frode...she's beautiful, just beautiful.  I love that stave,...but I think she only has eyes for you.  Remember, watch out for the bows and women, their curves can throw you for a loop!

Truer words, JW, truer words! 

I like that stave!  ... you will be amazed at how easily you can work the wood... I'm glad i took my time with mine but had I known how much of a joy the Osage is to work, I would have moved much more quickly with the stave. 
I say jump in and enjoy the swim!

Parnell, I was quite surprised too!  I've used my draw knife on oak and hickory, but only for crude work, and then it seemed like it was all fight.  This osage though, the blade just glides in and follows the curves of the grain.  I already have finishes in places smoother than I usually can get with 220 grit!  And you can cut in then rise back out to avoid a knot like slicing through butter!  Sure is sweet wood!

Frode

[JW_Halverson]

And when osage is really well seasoned and your tool is scary sharp, it is a sheer joy to raise curls.  I am always amazed how easy the wood parts in front of a good sharp edge when you consider it's density and hardness.  Just a little harder and the rockknockers would be stealing our scraps!

[Frode]

Here's my next question;  If I take the recommended 66" out if this stave from the center, or from the narrower end, I'll have this rather, shall we say, aggressive, swirl right at mid limb.  If I take the bow from the other end, it moves the swirl out toward the tip, a bit, say 4" or so.  I can narrow this area left to right without much trouble, but compensating for the three small knots (did I mention the three small knots right in the midst of this jog?) will make for a stiff section, I would imagine.

Would one way or the other make much of a difference?  If I leave the swirl mid limb-ish, I'll have less twist to coax out, and wider limbs overall, but I don't know if that outweighs the challenge of the swirl? 

Thanks for your help,
Frode



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[walkabout]

maybe someone whos dealt with this type of stuff can chime in with better advice, but i think it would be safer to have that swirl toward the tip than to have it midlimb, much less force near the tips than midlimb.

[Pat B]

Frode, I picked 66" because it isn't too long nor too short. At 66t/t you will get about 64n/n and for 28" draw that is a good safe length.
  I try to consider all options and place the bow in the optimum location on the stave. A few small knots can be utilized in the working portion of the limb by giving them a bit more wood around them. By doing so that area doesn't have to be "stiff". It can bend there but that is an on site judgment and hard to say from where I sit. You can work with the swirl also. If you place it out near the tip you will have to reduce the tip weight by reducing the wood in the swirl. If it is in the middle of the limb(working section) you can leave a little extra wood around it to help support it but that area need to bend also.
  It is all about learning the properties of the wood but also how that wood acts around certain maladies so you can make an educated guess as to how you want to approach the problem. Unfortunately you will eventually have to decide what to do and reap the consequences or victories as they come. As long as you are learning, nothing is lost.
  Now might not be the best time for you to tackle that stave but if you do decide to go for it, you will learn a lot about wood and wood bows that you can't learn from reading books or replies here. A few years back I spent an entire winter with 3 pieces of osage most would have made firewood with. I was determined to make shootable bows from these three staves and by spring I had 5 shootable, well tillered bows with lots of character. Some were very light weight and one or two were hunting weight bows...but I learned more that winter than the 15 previous years.

[Frode]

@walkabout, that was my first thought too, but it never hurts to ask.

@Pat, thanks!  I like to gather as much information as I can before I start a project, but you are absolutely right, nothing teaches like experience!  I will move forward!

Frode

[gstoneberg]

Pat really covered this well, the only thing I would add is that I've recently been bit by wood damage that occured by a knot letting water into the center of the limb/trunk of the tree.  The wood turns an off pink and gets extremely brittle.  If I saw that in your case I would definitely keep the "swirl" towards the limb tip where it won't be bending.  Having more than one knot clumped together in a limb is pretty common with osage and really common with mulberry.  As long as they're small you'll be able to get the wood to bend, but I'd keep every bit of bow width (and a little extra thickness) at that spot for sure.  Good luck, I really like that stave.  My thin ones are usually triangles so there isn't much heart wood.  That one is much better.

Good luck,
George

[George Tsoukalas]

That looks like a tough stave, Frode. I've made at least 200 bows  and broken half that over the course of 21 years of doing this. I would find that stave very challenging. Jawge

[Frode]

...Now might not be the best time for you to tackle that stave but if you do...

...I would find that stave very challenging. Jawge

OK, this is the part where Archie hooks his finger in his collar and beads of sweat and the word "GULP!" appear beside his head.    I am now officially in "measure thrice, rasp once" mode!  But I'm going to give it the old college try!

Yikes!  How old do you have to be to quote Archie?!  ( How old you have to be to use the phrase "Yikes!"?!)

Frode