First post, first bow, first chrysals...

[mikekeswick]

Oak is very sensitive, and in my experience forms chrysals easily. It makes a great, affordable bow but can be finicky. For what its worth I have an oak board bow from a long time ago that formed frets like a dog right off the bat, then it stopped and I just kept shooting it. It still shoots to this day with all kinds of fractures on the belly, both limbs have plenty of them! Apply that exact same tiller job to osage, hickory or elm and those fractures wouldnt be there.
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I think he should strive for perfect tiller before using a wood that will allow for a less than perfect tiller without chrysals . When you are starting out the first thing to really get your head around is how to distribute the stress throughout the limb by understanding the link between front veiw profile and correct tiller shape eg pyramid bow - arc of a circle tiller , parrallel limbs that then taper to tips - elliptical tiller. As wood gets thinner it can accept more bend. If you follow these principles you won't get chrysals bec ause the bending stress is properly distributed. Granted you could use osage with this tiller without chrysals but the wood wouldn't be strained properly - some bits would be loafing and some too stressed. If this  bow didn't get chrysals in osage then it should be narrower....to the point where it did develop some!
I think the OP did a great job for a 1st bow but how can he learn if you just say 'make it out of osage and it would be fine'?? You learn by making mistakes in my opion
If you intended to leave the tips stiff then they should be a little thicker than the working limb and taper more than a straight pyramid taper (narrower) the inner 'working limb' would then need to be a little wider and thinner to accept the extra bend without becoming overstrained.

[Del the cat]

Great to get that first bow under your belt.
Once you have done a few more and really developed your 'eye', you will look at the first one and really pick out the faults.
With woods which aren't the best I'd suggest going for a more 'arc of a circle' tiller along each limb (assuming a stiff handle), as this spreads the bend (and thus the stress) more venly along the limb and gives you the maximum chance of success.
Gotta remember too, the problems that teach us as much (if not more) than the successes.
Del

[JW_Halverson]

Mikekeswick is saying quite a bit in his post.  This bow goes a long way toward showing what happens when a hinge jumps out at you.  You can bet Bernal will be vigilant from here out on hinges. 

Just skipping to a bow wood that will put up with a greater degree of error isn't learning the craft.  I'm thinking I should have everyone learn bowmaking on a black locust stave...they are famous for having no patience for bad tillering! 

Just get back in the saddle, Bernal, make another 'un.  Stick with the board bows for now because they are cheaper to learn from then $70 osage staves.  Besides, any osage dealer will tell you that good staves don't grow on trees!  Well at least not on every tree.   

[fencepost]

The bow looks great. keep workin on them and things will get better.one questionable bow leads to making more . just have fun working the wood......Pete

[Dazv]

man awesome first bow dont let it be your last!!!!! if this is your first i can see some great bows to come.

[Bernal]

man awesome first bow dont let it be your last!!!!! if this is your first i can see some great bows to come.

Thanks... and no, it won't be my last. Just today I bought a couple nice boards from a hardwood store near me that will provide 3 hickory and 4 red oak bows. All have nice straight grain. The hickory is the right size for me to attempt a D section ELB.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Once you work hickory boards for bows you wont grab another oak board off the rack. Hickory is superior for board bows in my opinion. George T.  might get after me for saying that!

[Alpinbogen]

That tiller looks pretty good, but if it had more of a hinge during construction which developed chrysals, unfortunately they don't just go away even after you get things cleaned up.  If the chrysals were localized in one small spot, you could do a radiused belly patch.  But these extend for a foot or so, which makes an actual repair more effort than grabbing another stave. 

You could hang it on the wall or shoot it, keeping a close eye on those chrysals and the tiller shape, and an ear out for any telltail "ticks".  If they seem to be growing at all or you start hearing faint "ticks", hang it up.  Chrysals are a bit like a time bomb, prone to sudden death.     Sometimes they give a warning before cutting loose.  Sometimes not.  Those don't look "terribly" bad, but then again that's a flat (thin) belly with little meat to give slowly.  Be careful if you decide to keep shooting it.

With that said, congrats on the first one.  I'm sure you learned alot from it.  I've always been a proponent of beginners using a good, clean stave of hickory or osage.  I doubt either one of those woods would have developed chrysals, so even if the tillering wasn't perfect, you'd have a fine bow.  I know they're expensive, but I believe having skins in the game encourages people to work carefully.     The real bargain of cheap wood often is realized only later; that successful odds and satisfaction were traded away.  I admit it's an alluring trap.  I was excited when I bought a $19 Sawzall from Harbor Freight, once...Need I say more?