Classic built bows

[Crogacht]

I found this regarding curly figuring.

"Curl is compression grain perpendicularly crossing the face of a board producing alternate stripes of hard and soft board fiber. "

Not sure if it's true or not, but certainly interesting.

[osage outlaw]

Clint, have you noticed this 'curly' responding differently in any way? tension, compression, elasticity, etc

The curly wood is heavy and rubbery feeling.  It is not very good selfbow wood in my opinion after working on this bow. 

[DGF]

Were you able to get to some rings with a good early/late ratio, or do you think the figured wood is sub par because of the curly aspect?

-Dan

[osage outlaw]

I got down to decent rings.  Its just the curly wood I think.  It kind of feels as if the bow has been under water for a few days.  It has the dimensions of a 70 lb bow but is only pulling 40-45 lbs. 

[blackhawk]

I can definitely back Clint up on this one as I saw it in person...he had it floor tillered when i first saw it(but I didn't know where he was at with it at first),and I looked it over n thought this things still gotta be pretty stiff and over 80-90 pounds by the looks of his widths and thicknesses....but then I tested its bend on the floor to check it.... boy was I surprised...it bent over like a wet noodle with not much bend resistance like you normally feel with osage,and he was around 50-60 pounds already...it basically felt like a wet low dense whitewood feel to its bending....we thought maybe the mc was a lil high,and he backed off after a few shots and hot boxed it...but it made no difference...curly wood is "soft" in general ....I def learned something from it

[MWirwicki]

I made a bow out of the sunken osage wood that GSulfridge passed on to a few of us.  JW (damn him) came up with "Yellow Submarine".  Wished I would of thought of that.  Anyhow, I chased a ring, cut out the rough and heated it one night.  Worked again on it Saturday around midnight.  It ended up 52# and I shot it very well the next morning for the Selfbow Challenge.  Couldn't beat Cody though.  He was a machine.  I sanded and dipped it last night.  I'll post pics this evening. 

[osage outlaw]

Matt, are you bringing that bow to Marshall?  I would like to check it out.  That thing was on a lake shore just a few weeks ago.

[stickbender]

That's sick Clint!! When u cut the tree didnit have any signs of the figuring?

     Oh yeah, that would make for some nice stock wood, and or knife handles, tomahawk handles, etc.


                                                                                Wayne

[Buckeye Guy]

I got down to decent rings.  Its just the curly wood I think.  It kind of feels as if the bow has been under water for a few days.  It has the dimensions of a 70 lb bow but is only pulling 40-45 lbs. 

I will take it off your hands , no problem !
Was there enough wood you could of done it side ways ? been wanting to try curly that way .

[H Rhodes]

Finished this one up and want to post it before Clint puts up what I am sure is going to be a beautiful bow even if the wood looks better than it performs.  This little bow is just the opposite and shoots a heck of a lot better than it looks.  51 1/2" nock to nock and came in at 43lbs at 25".  The tiller may look a little wonky, but I was starting out with over 90 degrees of propeller twist.  I had my doubts about whether it would make a hunting weight bow or not.  Danzn Bar convinced me to give it a try and I chased a ring and roughed it out Saturday afternoon at the Classic.  Had to heat correct, bend and twist, and basically torture a bow out of this old stave, which came from an old fencepost that I found hiding in a mound of dirt that I was flattening out with the box blade.  Ended up sort of a five curve design that bends very slightly in the handle. 

[Danzn Bar]

   That doesn't even look like the same piece of wood I saw at the classic!!!  That thing had more curves than Farah Faucet (SP?)   
Great job, Howard.....bet it shoots good.
DBar

[H Rhodes]

Thanks Bill.  It's all your fault.  I would have let someone else wrestle with that thing if I hadn't listened to you!   I ran the heat gun 3 different sessions on that little bow.  In fact, I chased a ring and roughed it out in an hour or two.  I tillered it out in less than an hour.  The other WEEK was spent trying to get it strung and getting the string to track through the handle.

[Danzn Bar]

That was a splinter of a stave, you did a real good job getting 45# out of that stick.   "Seasoned" wood is a bit better than dry wood, huh?
DBar

[half eye]

Damn Howard, ya got a hook into them way curvy shorties....WOW
rich

[nclonghunter]

Osage Outlaw, curly maple wood used for muzzleloaders is suppose to be quarter sawn in some manner that causes the curl to show. The reason I mention this is I am interested and somewhat surprised the bow is weak in poundage. Have any other bows been made from that same tree? Wondering if they acted like regular Osage?

Just curious, anxious to see the finished bow. ..