struggling with rings

[danny f]

hi all, im starting my first proper bow, i have roughed out the bow it is 1" 5/8 wide at the centre and tapering down to 1 inch, so far. i have started to reduce the sapwood but at one end the sapwood twists and runs down the side of the stave. and on the back of the bow the sapwood doesnt run horizontal to the bow. also i am finding it dificult to follow the rings as they seem very small to me anyway. i have read that you dont really need to follow the rings on yew. (is this true?) i think i will back this bow just for security. any tips appreciated thanks danny.




 

[Del the cat]

Hang on dude...
I replied to your previous post about what appears to be the same stave....
I got no response.
If you do us the courtesy of replying and turning a thread into a conversation you will get plenty of help.
Del

[danny f]

hi del sorry i didnt respond to your reply, i had read what you said and was following it i was reducing the sapwood and then was going to steam it to try and get it straight, and leave it at that until it was seasoned,i just started to worry when i started reducing the sapwood,and  noticed the sapwood appears to be running the wrong way to the back of the bow,with the way it looks at the moment i was thinking it wouldnt have any heartwood showing on one side. i appreciate allyour help and advice , thanks danny.

[Del the cat]

You just have a funny bit of wood where the heart sap boundary isn't very regular.

I've just studied the pics more carefully...
So one limb is ok the other has the twist, right?
I think you've done ok and should just live with the weird limb.
If you are correcting the lateral bend you can always correct it so that you take the centre line as close to the 'good side' of the weird limb as you can.
This stave may suit a ELB profile as the narrower it is, the more you can slim it down to the good side. (See pic below)


Two Three options .
1. Don't worry that you can see the lines running along the length of the bow. Some people will tell you the sky will fall in if you have growth ring violations... but it's ok if they run along the bow.
With Yew you can have a few running across too as long as you blend 'em in.
So, don't let that view of the back fool you... go by the look of the end of the bow.
It's a challenging stave, but there is a bow in there!
2. You could follow a ring a bit more on the back if you want, see the red line on the pic above.
If you make the back follow the red line presumably that will mean you have one twisted limb which weill be a pig to tiller to pull back straight (but it is possible).
3. A bit of 1 with a hint of 2.  That's the joy of staves, trying to figure out the best bow in the wood. There's isn't necessarilly a 'right' way or even a 'best' way. You just have to try your best and learn from the experience you gain, try to work with the wood as much as possible... go with the flow.
Good luck.
Del

[Bryce]

i always choose a suitable ring to chase, then draw knife to it. then i know im there. after that i wont follow that ring but the one above the chosen ring. like a "safety ring" then once that safety ring is chased ill go back through and carefully take the safety ring off

[danny f]

thanks for the advice, the ring you have marked of was my first thought, but if i follow that i think the bow will have a bad twist on the back, at the other end the sapwood and heartwood are pretty even both sides. i think the stave has grown with a twist. i was wondering if it was worth taking abit more of the width on the side with the sapwood on there is about 7mm max of it, i was thinking then i would be able to see the heartwood and go from there. i havent picked a good piece of wood to start me off eh, but its all i have to work with so im determined to get a bow from it. thanks again.