Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: hedgeapple on February 15, 2009, 01:48:28 am
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I just split a couple osage logs I harvested from my farm. One was short 48 inches after I remove the knarly end where the tree had fork. The other is 66 inches, but has nasty twist about a quarter turn. Is there any hope of making a bow out of this twisted osage?
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yep..... split it down to workable Staves....reduce the wood down and then steam the Stave one limb at a time and twist the Limb straight....then do the same to the other side....if you do it while the Staves are still wet....you can use steam and Osage turn to rubber with wet heat....if you are willing to work at it....they can be saved...lets see some pictures of them too...that will help everyone decide the best course of attacking them
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i was told to get a pipe wrench or something to twist the limb with that wont mar the wood. Hang a five gallon bucket half full of water from the end. Heat it or steam it and leave the bucket till the water evaporates. I have since found you really only need to wait an hour or so till the wood cools. You can definitely straighten that twist. It will be a good experiece for you.
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I use a form and add reflex and remove twist all at once, did one yesterday that had one limb twisting to
the left and the other limb twisted to the right, took that out and added 3" of reflex :) Osage is almost to easy to straighten.
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Thanks El, DanaM and Sulfur. I'll try to straight the osage today. I'm so glad I'll be able to use the wood. I hate cutting down trees and not being able to use them. To me, tree are like animals. I don't harvest them unless I plan to use them.
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Use a Gas Grill....Heat Gun...or ever the Wife's Stove Top....oil the wood well to control scorching and drying it out.....and when it starts getting too hot to hold on to....it should be ready to bend...and Osage bends like rubber when heated right...it is amazing how plastic it gets....good luck
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i just love heating osage to get twist and bends out,its soooooo much fun ;D
its just cool what you can do to some woods when they hit the right temp
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The stave was half of a 6" diameter log. I attempted to to take a little off the edge to get it to a more bendable size. I need to learn more about stave splitting and wood grain, I suppose. The split basically when diagonal across my stave. This doesn't give me nearly as much "wiggle room" as would have like to have. Right now, both staves are 1 3/4" from back to belly and 1" wide on the narrow end. Here's a picture
I know I need to to take more white bark off and get down to the growth ring for the back
[attachment deleted by admin]
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Just notice on the second picture I have the twist (in red) going the wrong way. :-\
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I never tried to take the twist out till I had it down to near-bow dimensions. Could never get the heat to penetrate anything that thick and wide.
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No....You are Correct Rich....they should be reduced in order to get the Moisture to do it's job properly....
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These staves do not have bad twist at all. I've steam straightened, as El Destructo noted above, much more twisted staves. You have nice growth rings with a good ratio of early wood to late wood. These should lmake good shooters.
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That's everyone for you advice and encouragement. I just love this site.
Dave
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Dave, I'd select and chase a grain using a draw knife and scrapper. Then draw you a center line following the linear grain from one end of the stave to the other. This is where the center of the back of your bow will be. Then draw the top view of the bow working off the center line as if the bow were laying on its belly on the ground and you were standing directly above it. Should show the handle, limb width and length, etc.
Work the stave down to the lines and rough in limb thickness on the heavy side. First try to floor tiller the stave to get a little bending in the limbs...then it should be ready to straightness using steam or dry heat. Steam might be the better route with freshly cut osage, but dry heat will work as well.
Sorry if I told you a bunch of stuff you already knew...don't always know one's level of experience.
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I agree with Greg. You should be able to straighten both of those. It might take more then one try.
Big A
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On the green Osage I would seal it up after you get it floor tillered and steam first,dry heat I will
almost guarantee it will check.Then after the steaming dry heat from then on to tweak it if you need to. I have straightened a lot worse than that many times. :)
Pappy
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Thanks GregB and BigA. I have heard and read what you said a couple times. But, at this point in my growth as a bowyer it helps to hear the basics over and over to get them firmly intrenched in my thick head. :)
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This was with a well cured osage stave but I went from this...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/forpa051.jpg)
and this...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/forpa053.jpg)
to this...all with a heat gun and a bit of oil.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/forPA088.jpg)
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I have to Agree with Gregg....that is exactly how I do all of my Snakey woods....here are two Vine Maple Staves I have in the Process....you can see what Gregg was talking about on the Lineal Grain by the way I have them laid out....hope that this Helps....
[attachment deleted by admin]
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Tallk about great timing, I was just yesterday looking at an Osage stave with a 90deg. twist. Your post and the answers will help me a lot. My stave is 2 years cured, but I am still gonna try the "grease, steam, straighten, relfex" all in one move trick.
Thanks for starting this thread, and thanks for all the responses.
( I sorta feel guilty stealing ideas from other folks posts) ;) ;)
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( I sorta feel guilty stealing ideas from other folks posts) ;) ;)
Thats what this Forum and All of Us are here for....to Help out in any way Possible....You wont find a more diverse bunch if you look for years....so pay attention .....ask questions....and use all of the Information that you can....and by all means pass it on....keep this artform going...it was about dead 20 years ago....thank God it has had a come back!!
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Thanks EL. Your lay out really helpf.
Greg, nice looking bow. Thanks for your help and support.
I'll try to get a bow layed out and to floor tiller this week.
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Propeller is a lot easier to get out than any other osage anomaly. I do cut the limb section down to about 1" thick and 1 1/2" wide before I start.
Here is how I do it, I put two 25# bags of lead shot and a bunch of large C clamps in the bucket, a few at a time after heat the limb until the twist comes out.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/propellerpost.jpg)