osage stave advice needed

[Pat B]

Here is the osage stave Josh gave me with the checks in it...
Back


Belly


Back


Belly

[bradsmith2010]

i usually go down a ring or two if I have enough wood,, if I am not happy with the back,,  usually I am glad I did,,, just a little more work,, but an osage bow is worth the effort,,aslo as Blackhawk suggested,, rawhide backing is functional and beautiful when done well,, I think there is a bow in there 

[Eric Krewson]

Because of the dark color of some of your cracks I suspect they are wind shakes, the ones on the belly most definitely are. Super glue and proceed.

[Pat B]

Eric, the pics I posted are old checks. The staves that Josh cut laid on the ground for 15 years before he retrieved them. He said he actually forgot he has cut and split them until he came back and found them. They were on an island that became inaccessible do to a change in the course of the river.

[jeffp51]

Here are some end grain pics.  I am looking at the third ring down.  On one side, it is about 1/8" thick, and a little over 1/16" on the other

[Pat B]

If you don't trust the back ring now, go down one ring and see how it looks. Be careful as you expose the next ring. Leave an island of wood around any knots or pins until the back has been chased then go back and slowly and carefully remove the island working from the center out around the knot.

[jeffp51]

thank you for all the advice.  I will probably have more questions as I progress.  Tyke if you have the dimensions for your bow, that will help me with layout.

[jeffp51]

Spent the whole day chasing a ring. I may be slow, but at least my work is poor

[bradsmith2010]

that a nice piece of wood ,, nice rings,,

[jeffp51]

Three days of scraping, and I finally have a clean back.  My hunch was right, there were actually parts of three different rings exposed on the back of the stave, but now it is smooth as a baby's backside and ready for layout.  The narrowest part is about 1 3/8 inch--which I hope is wide enough, as that narrow spot is about 6 inches above the center point.  The scraper that Tyke made for me worked fantastic!  If you are ever in the mood for a trade, try and get one from him. I have been using a paint scraper- which is fine for big, wide scrapes off of the belly, but Tyke's tool let me get into all sorts of nooks and crannies, and allowed me to use more finesse. Thanks again!

One question.  I think I will eventually seal the whole bow with tung oil.  Should I go ahead and use that on the back now, or use something else?  If I use polyurethane or some other sealant,  are there issues with removing the sealant before a final finishing?  what does everyone else usually do?  I just want to keep it from cracking/ checking again and have it look nice in the end.

[Eric Krewson]

Shellac is the best sealer, very easy to remove with a light scraping.

[jeffp51]

One of the things I like about this site, is how patient everyone seems to be with new people and their repetitive questions.  So here is mine:

I am ready to remove the prop twist in this stave, but I am unsure about how and where to apply the heat.  I have read Jawge's site on how to do this applying leverage to the end of the stave, but do I heat the whole limb, or just the belly, or work my way down the limb? How long does it take to cool?  Some say apply oil or crisco.  Which is better? Do apply to only back? Only the belly? Both? How much?  How hot does it need to be?

My climate is really dry here in Utah, am I better to just steam it?  If I do, how?

The process looks easy until I think too much about it, and I often think too much.  I have 30-45 degrees total twist.  Please advise.

[SLIMBOB]

Depends for me on how localized the twist is.  If I can heat just one section of say a foot long I will. Some will need a more generalized heating along the limb to bring it straight.  I don't worry too much with prop twist.  If it is slight, I just leave it, but that is a judgment call.  I did for a long time use oil, I now do it dry so that I don't have the clean up.  Oil is safer I think, but not needed if you go slow and easy. 
Once it is cool to the touch it's good.  Wait a while before bending it too far just to play it safe.
 Belly only for me, just hot enough to bend and stay bent.  If it is not hot enough it wont take.

[bradsmith2010]

if it is not hot enough it wont bend 

[jeffp51]

Progress being made.  what are the thoughts/ advice on the tiller?