Help Billet (got er done)

[Mad Max]

I have a billet, the rings are so thin I can't chase them.
Will linen fix that???

I don't want to use raw hide or sinew

I do have a real thin goat raw hide I got From Patrick at MoJam last year

[Hamish]

Hi Max, What sort of wood are we talking about? For instance osage or yew react differently with thin rings. Thin rings on osage are generally not as desireable as normal sized. Thin rings on yew are more highly prized as the wood is generally denser and stronger.  I have seen osage with a cross section where the rings look like pages from a cheap paperback. Most other timbers especially from the Northern hemisphere are better with normal sized rings.
 Thin rings come in different types, if its predominently early wood its going to cause problems in both tension and compression. A backing and making the limb wider than normal can usually save the stave. If the rings are thin but are predominently late growth then you won't have a problem with compression but you still might have a problem with tension. Thin rings of late growth aren't necessarily bad, but they aren't generally as tough as normal sized rings. They are more easily damaged by dings.

So when you tell us about the wood species and its make up we will have a better idea which remedy if any would be most appropriate.

[Mad Max]

Sorry
Osage

The late ring are really thin, and the early are not much thicker, the tip end is thinner than the Handle end

I thought thin rings on osage were good?

It would only be 1" wide at the fades, I cant get any more width out of it.

[Jim Davis]

Thin rings on Osage are, as you found, much harder to work. You might try using a scraper, if you haven't already.

As far as the narrowness, make the bow as long as you can (it's a billet, so maybe not much you can do for  length).

Jim Davis

[Hamish]

I personally would try getting it to brace height, then work up slow until you have it looking well tillered at half draw. If it survives this far I would back it(rawhide), let it dry for a week or so it get the moisture out, then continue tillering, until full draw.
I have seen unbacked bows from marginal osage break in tension during the making.

 The best approach for a stave like this next time you come across one would be to  lumberize(plane it flat on the back) it and back it with hickory or boo, make it wider than usual.

[Mad Max]

I have 5 or 6 osage staves, I don't have to use it if you guy's think it's not worth the trouble.

[osage outlaw]

Max, do you remember that thin violated thin ring bow from the Classic last year?

[Mad Max]

I missed it Clint

Tell me about it

[osage outlaw]

This opened my eyes on thin ringed osage violations.  Ignore the arguing about how that bow could have been turned into a great shooter.

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,56848.0.html

[Mad Max]

Yea I remember it breaking ,  but did not know what was going on.
Thanks Clint

[mikekeswick]

If you are having trouble chasing a ring chances are that you are using too aggressive a tool. You want a very sharp scraper. Sharp so that it will take perfect shavings off with a gentle wipe with one hand....then get a strong light source and go SLOW!
I've made two bows with paper thin rings. No problems and they were both great performers. Any wood will break with a violated back.

[Mad Max]

Thanks everybody
I chased down to the first thick ring and all is well.
the first picture is going to be the tip end.
This billet is about 48" long, so I can make it as long as I want
1" wide is all I can get out of it, maybe less.
The spliced handle is about 3/4" wide, I will laminate to both sides after gluing the splice.

mikekeswick  Thanks