Osage with Cedar Tips (Finish Pictures Added)

[gstoneberg]

I took some time off of working on my trade bow to see if cedar tips can be spliced on to an osage billet to make a workable bow.  I started with a 48" billet:



and glued on cedar tips effectively lengthening the bow a foot to 58".



As always, I got 1 good splice and 1 bad.  I think this is the good one, from the top...



and bottom.





For some reason the phone insisted on focusing on the grass instead of the bow.     I should have cut a couple inches off that one end to keep the bow straighter...but where would the fun be in that??  With any luck I'll bend (and maybe break) it tomorrow.  I've got to say working that cedar made my shop smell the best it ever has.

George

[Dauntless]

Great looking splice, I imagine the bow is going to have a mollagebet look so not to be whip tillered. Regardless, consider yourself a scientist with such an experimental design.

[Cameroo]

Genius    Hope it works out for ya!

[Weylin]

Wow, never woulda thought of that.  I'm eager to see how that turns out. Just curious, why cedar? Are you hoping the low density will speed up the bow?

[Pat B]

Cool experiment, George.   Little experiments like this has gotten us primitive archers to where we are today. 

[okie64]

I hope it holds up for ya George. Should make a sweet shooter if it does.

[gstoneberg]

Thanks guys.  Yes, I chose cedar because I thought it'd be a nice light tip material.  Well, I also thought it'd be pretty too if I could get a little heartwood to show on the belly.  Course, it could blow up too.  Unfortunately, one of the 2 tips had a bad set of knots that forced me to thin the tip more than I'd have liked.  Hopefully it still won't bend.  I heat bent that one tip that was so crooked so the string could lay a little more square in the string nock.  The osage has a bad crack in the center that goes clear through back to belly.  I superglued that tonight as well.  We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

George

[soy]

That looks really cool 8)makes me a little nervous, hope it works out...be careful 

[Del the cat]

Nice , it works for the guys with the horn sinew composites so why not.
Look forward to seeing her finished.
Del

[johnston]

George, if a stave doesn't have at least 18 major problems you find it dull . Working out
this idea should make you happy.

Lane

[George Tsoukalas]

George, do be careful but nice experiment. Jawge

[H Rhodes]

A pioneer!!  cool experiment.  What kind of weight are you shooting for?  It sounds like an interesting way to lighten the tips up.  I hope it works out for you.

[Will H]

WOW! I'm hoping this works out George! Good luck buddy

[gstoneberg]

I'll be careful, hopefully if it blows it'll just be exciting as I use a pulley setup.  I figure once I stop hogging wood off the belly I can put a string wrap on those joints  for the rest of the tillering.  It is going to look like a molly as the working limb will be a fraction of the thickness it was when I took the pics and I'm leaving the glue joint full thickness.  I'm always amazed at how little limb depth it takes to make a hunting weight bow, especially a short one.   O, and I'm shooting for 50lbs which will be new for me as I typically make 60lb bows.  Anyway, it is just barely bending a little and I've removed about a fourth of the thickness in the osage so far.  Soon I'll have to slow down a little.  More later.  Thanks all.

George

[tattoo dave]

Cool!! That's awesome george, hope it works. My shop smells a lot like yours. I just got done splitting my first log, ERC.

Tattoo Dave