Crack on Osage back.( Updated w/ pics)

[HickoryBill]

I recently got an Osage stave that was cut in 1999. So it was good and seasoned. I cut the bow out and chased a ring. Yesterday I noticed a crack about 4 - 5 inches long running parallel to the side and then running off the back.Is this bow doomed? Would a rawhide back save it? It is pretty snakey.

[Pat B]

Pics would help. If the cracks(checks) are running off the back you didn't follow the grain when you drew out your bow. Checks are seperations in the wood grain caused by shrinkage during the drying process. Depending on how drasticly the checks run off the back you may be able to make a repair with a wrap.
No matter how seasoned a stave is I always seal the back with shellac after chasing a ring.

[DEllis]

Pics would help. If the cracks(checks) are running off the back you didn't follow the grain when you drew out your bow. Checks are seperations in the wood grain caused by shrinkage during the drying process. Depending on how drasticly the checks run off the back you may be able to make a repair with a wrap.
No matter how seasoned a stave is I always seal the back with shellac after chasing a ring.

It would have been nice to have that information a while ago I have had slight checking on both the osage bows I have built. I finally figgured out to seal it up as soon as the ring was chased. I used true oil though so it is compatible with my final finish.
As for the check running off the side, Pat hit the nail on the head there. All my checks stayed within the limb(got lucky maybe) but I was pretty carefull to follow the grain when I laid out the bow.
Sorry to hear about the checking. You might be able to save it yet but can't tell without pics.
Darcy

[Pat B]

I keep a can of spray shellac on my work bench all the time for just such things. The shellac can be wiped off with denatured alcohol and a rag later or most finishes will go right over the shellac with no problems.

[HickoryBill]

I definitely followed  the grain in the bow layout as the the stave was only 1.5 inches wide, and at the point where the crack runs off is still only 1.5 inches wide. I'll try to get some pics up later.

[HickoryBill]

Here is the pic.of the Osage bow( Hopefully)  The first is the back of the bow, the second is another crack/split in the other limb on the belly side.

[HickoryBill]

I forgot to mention, The crack has gotten longer.   I sealed the back finally. The crack is too deep to chase another ring down too.

[gstoneberg]

That is very odd.  I've never had a crack run off the limb quite like that on the back.  I've had some on the belly do that, but in those cases the cracks were already there when I started the bow, just not visible until I got close to the finished thickness.  That belly split would not bother me much at all unless the wood starts to distort between the crack and the limb edge under compression.  If it does, you'll have to wrap it.  Those back splits are very troubling.  The cracks I've gotten as wood dried were not dark, only water damage cracks have been colored like that for me.  But, this can't be water damage or it would have been obvious when you started.  As to what you should do, I'm not sure.  I'd try a wrap or backing of some kind, probably sinew backing because that's what I'm most familiar with.

Good luck, and I'm very interested in what you do and how it turns out.

George

[HickoryBill]

gstoneberg:  I don't really have access to sinew at this time. My choices are, linen,rawhide, and fiber( Jute) applied like sinew. Any idea if any of those might work? I'm leaning towards the fiber. If the bow holds I will be adding a Rat Snake skin to the back.

[JW_Halverson]

If the only thing between you and that crack is the want of a little sinew, send me a pm!  I'll send you a back sinew to get after it. 

[HickoryBill]

I sanded the cracked area and filled it with super glue and a little sawdust. I'm gonna back it and soldier on!!!

[Bill Skinner]

I havesome osage that has cracks like that.  Katrina knocked the tree over and my uncle pushed the tree out of the center of the pasture with a back hoe.  Some of the limbs had those cracks, some went all the way through.  Some of the staves made good bows, some didn't.  Bill 

[gstoneberg]

I sanded the cracked area and filled it with super glue and a little sawdust. I'm gonna back it and soldier on!!!

That's the spirit!!

George

[George Tsoukalas]

You did a good job following the grain. That crack looks like a wind shake. My last bow had several of these. I took out what I could by narrowing the stave. You don't need much osage to get 50# which is what I like for a bow weight. I haveo ne crack that almost runs off but not quite. I removed the ones that did. I shot it with superglue and clamped it. Then I made that limb the upper one. Resist heating it or if you must do it before you glue it; that way the glue won't degrade. My last bow (Jan 2011) is still shooting. You can read about it here. I don't like backing hunting bows so I did not but your bow may benefit from rawhide.
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/crookedbow.html

[George Tsoukalas]

Hickory Bill, I don;t see where the crack runs off. This one almost did. Jawge