First Osage Self Bow (progress - First Big "Outing" 5/20)

[ber643]

I really feel like I amm sometimes, SS.

[Hillbilly]

Lookin' good, Bernie!

[ber643]

Thank you, Hb.

[Pat B]

Coming along nicely Bernie. It does look like you are having fun. Looking forward to your process.      Pat

[PK]

Ber643, that is so nice that you can make that wood speak.PK :)Can I call ya Bernie?

[Woodland Roamer]

Looking good Bernie, can't wait to see more.

Alan

[cowboy]

That is looking good Bernie! Have been learning a lot about straightening wood myself here lately - after having most of my fancy holding devices (strings, pulleys, clamps, etc) let go on me during the bend I just started heating and holding by hand for a few minutes, works good. Love that osage, can't wait to see her bending .

[ber643]

Thanks everyone (for looking and "talking") - it means a lot.

PK, did you mean, can you call me Bernie, vice ber643 - or did you mean can you call me on the phone???  The answer is yes, in either case  , I'm in the book ("listed") or "information" but the number is 252-393-6188

Cowboy, I used to purposly buy trad bows that were twisted cause I knew i could buy cheap and knew I could usually straighten them for resale (in the archery shop I worked part-time at). However my arms have never been much to talk about (I do all required by willpower) so sometimes I would have to use something for a lever - Like a partially open cresent (adjustable) wrench, etc. - worked great. But - these all woods are stronger - LOL especially before fully "taken down". Leverage (with caution) is our friend! (IMO)  (I found out the other day that Mike also uses the ol' cresent wrench on wood bows/staves too.)

Oh, yeah - I usually add these days that my willpower has kind of become mostly won't power now - 

[PK]

I just wanted to call ya by Bernie, nice how ya work with that osage.

[ber643]

Sure, PK - I've been called Bernie and/or Bern most of my life - in fact ber643 is just the spelling of Bernie with the phone dial numbers for the last 3 letters (I couldn't think of a "clever" handle when I first started hitting the forums - LOL). Didn't get to go work on my Osage this past weekend. Not onl;y did I catch a bad cold that I didn't want to "share" but also my #2 Granddaughter was in the hospital giving birth to my fourth Great Grand child (makes the third girl). Both little Riley Marie and her mom are doing fine, though she was three weeks early.

Hope to get feeling good enough to get back on the Osage this coming weekend.

[michbowguy]

good looking bow ther bernie, i thought you would either have the ol kbar or YOUR new bowie scrapin' it!
jamie

[cowboy]

Hope ya get well soon Bernie , gettin anxious to see tha yalla wood bending. Congrats on all the grand's and great's .

[ber643]

Thanks, cowboy - and congrats to you - I will be posting your and Adam's Feb win Full Draw pics on my TBD pages soon - Maybe today.

Jamie I did take the new Ka-Bar over last weekend but didn't need to use it that day. Hoping to see the new (to me) Bowie from you either today or tomorrow (real excited about that) and you can bet they'll both see some use when I start tillering and finishing on this Osage. I also now have a sweet Hickory stave from Minuteman that will be getting some attention , good Lord willing, in the near future. I am blessed!

[ber643]

OK, Got to do some more Osage bending this past weekend, and I'll update, as promised. However, first I want to show you a little bonus of another new bow Mike is working on. I got to help him "shoot it in" some, while waiting for my bend work to cool on my stave. The new one is a sweet little Bamboo Backed Osage, Osage Tip overlays, Poplar and Massandruba handle, 51# @ 27" (it was about 44# at my 25 1/2 or so). Mike says it still shows some extra stiffness in the bottom limb (he wanted it a little stiffer than the top limb) but we both felt it behaves and shoots so well, and comfortably that he may not do much more than sanding work now. I really loved the bow's feel, quickness, and accuracy, and he liked the chance to see it shot by someone other than just him, so he could stand back and eyeball it in action.

Mike at Full Draw:



New Bow at Brace:



Now, on with my Osage Self bow. You'll recall, we moved the handle over to make for less bending of the limbs (hopefully). Next step is to move one limb over (laterally) in line with the handle. The vice holds the other tip within it's handle area, and we shimmed and clamped near the bow's handle. We'll grease and heat the mid portin of the limb (to The right) and then clamp it a little further over than we hope it will settle after cooling:

 

Now greased, heated, and clamped:

 

That having worked out very well, we set up to work on the opposite limb. This one needs the tip moved over laterally (like the other one) but we also hope to reflex the end some (to match the natural reflex in the opposite limb) and twist (with a padded cresent wrench) the outter portion of the limb a little - all at the same time, after heating and greasing. This time I will be heating The outter portion of the limb rather than the center. A little trickier moves, and we can only hope for the best results:
 



Fancier (more convoluted - LOL) clamping and bracing on this limb/tip:



Again I was blessed (and well guided by Mike's previous experience), although a little more reflex might have been nice - we'll see about that later. After cooling period and unclamping, we ran a center line (using a Chalk line string), and you can see (in the the pic below) we now have a pretty pleasing center line, on a fairly straight stave, (with some "whooptie" character places - LOL) Both Mike and I were very pleased:



Next session I'll take the sides of the bow in to the layout lines, pretty much to where I would like them to be in the end.

[ber643]

By the way, the blurs in the picture of Mike are because his wife and he were also burning leaves and fallen limbs that day - LOL.