Making an R/D with a straight stave.

[DC]

I have a couple of staves that I would like to turn into R/D bows but they are straight through the handle. Is there any problem with putting all the deflex in the fades? With the handle roughed out that's about the only place it will bend. Or maybe I should save the R/D thing for billets and glue in the deflex?

[blackhawk]

Guess i better say my two cents as ive done a number of these...first off..what wood we talking about? I prefer to put my deflex in the handle...it just looks funny when the handle is straight and then sharp deflex off the fades of the working limbs...aesthetically it looks better in the center of the handle. It also takes a little bit less of a bend to move the tips the same amount compared to the fades. You also can start your reflex right off the fades..keep the reflex subtle till midlimb then make it progressively sharper towards the tips. I heat bend the deflex first,then reflex the limbs after. I usually deflex it to where the tips are 2-4" behind the handle..just depends on what im going for in the end,and the bows intended dimensional stats. Osage and yew bend easily enough being thick with enough heat. Other woods are much more stubborn. Id imagine junipers would be fairly easily as well. I usually end up building the handle up with cork if you like a handle thicker than an inch. Or you could laminate some thin strips of wood underneath....or you could do like ya mentioned and splice billets into deflex....try all 3 ways and find out what you like best and what works best for you...ive done em all. And my prefernce is making em with one piece of wood and using cork.

[DC]

Thanks for the info. This was a general question but the one I am working on is Ocean Spray. It bends well. I never thought of thinning the handle so that I could bend it there. I was staring at a full thickness handle when the question came up. If you make the handle an inch thick and use cork or something does the handle bend noticeably or is it just too thin and the handle would pop off? Right after I posted this I went ahead(impatience) and bent one in the fades and you are right it does look funny or even worse than funny. After this one I will try a thinner handle. That actually works out because if you cut the average OS stave to the pith so it won't check it turns out about an inch thick.

[Springbuck]

If the handle is only an inch thick or so, if you deflex it before you start thinning the limbs, you'd be surprised how much  deflex you can get.  Number one, you can get it to bend at all right in the middle, that translates to a lot of tip movement.  If you really get a good steam on it.

Number two, you can often induce some reflex or deflex in a green stave, and then set it really well with dry heat.

Lastly, you can often notch a thicker handle, make the bend at the bottom of the notch, and then patch the notch.  I have done this by cutting a few, like 3 kerfs with a saw, an inch apart, o the steaming thing and the bend, then drill out where the kerfs were and glue in hardwood dowels sideways.

[Eric Krewson]

I have done one radical reflex deflex osage bow. My handle was 1 12/" thick  and I could bend it into a deflex form with heat.

You could always cut your handle down to about 3/4" thick, bend it, clue on a few thin lams that are bent on your form to build up the handle and glue a thicker piece on to finish your handle thickness out.

I have done the above on straight limb bow staves that split out with not much meat in the handle area. I only trust urac or unibond for gluing on handles.

[blackhawk]

Welp...since it was asked i might as well show since im currently making one and doing exactly what the op asked...

Hopefully the pics are self explanatory. ..

First i put the stave clamped up like this with just enough pressure to hold it....

In the first pic you can see it clamped ready for heat,and under the belly where it sits you can see it sitting on a half round red maple sapling trunk (perfectly round)...this is called redneck engineering and using what ya got...ive used this piece countless times over the last 5 years...on top of my clamps is another deflex form and it gives a more subtle elongated bend compared to the sharper bend the maple trunk gives me. Then i start dry heating it along both sides and try to hit underneath as much as i can...i even hit some heat to the top ( but not too much to turn it color like the sides and underneath. Then once its pliable enough you will know when you squezze the clamps as it will move..i only move em little by little,and in between each movements i heat it with heat...and while im squeezing i keep the gun on it.







And the end result...viola!!!!

[Aaron H]

 

[DC]

Thanks BH

[blackhawk]

No problemo...i am here to help..or so i try to..lol 😁