Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: iowabow on December 27, 2010, 08:45:51 pm
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What you you think about this stave. I was thinking of starting on bow # 7.
1. this has a curve how do I deal with that
2. I read in another post that I should not start with a pyramid bow but should start with the taper at midlimb is that correct. Is this because it is a stave?
your thoughts before I begin would be very welcomed.
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l567/iowabow/stave.jpg)
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l567/iowabow/stave1.jpg)
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Hickory............. ???
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Pretty straight piece of osage! 8)
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sorry osage
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OK...now that You added the other Picture....I can see...looks like a nice piece of wood
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Sorry I had a little trouble with the first part of the post. The first photo did not post and covered up my questions.
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Iowabow, Mike and Pat are veteran bowyers, and usually have sage advise, that I generally defer to. O:) However in this case, they are patently wrong >:D >:D. The major flaw that I can observe is that piece of wood is in your possession and not mine. Although it will be a burden, you can mail that to me here in Alabama, and I'll take responsibility for properly disposing of that terrible terrible piece of wood. ;D
Seriously though, it does look good, and nothing a little heat won't correct.
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Osage does heat correct pretty easily with dry heat. My last osage bow came from a stave shaped like that. Check this. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/osage.html
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Wow, that's unusually straight for osage! No twist at all. ;D
George
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As clear and fine as that piece of wood is, I'd have to add character with my heatgun! Kidding.
Once you have the bow almost done tillering you can use dry heat on the handle section and bend it just a bit past straight easy enough. You have to make a less radical bend in the handle than you would out on the limbs to accomplish tip alignment. Plus any accidental discoloration of the wood by the heat is covered by the handle wrap! Bonus!
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That stave is plenty long enough. I would cut the straightest 66" section out of the middle and start chasing a ring. Dry heat works great on osage to remove twist/straighten. Good luck.
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Here is the centering tool I was telling you about. Work it down the stave, first with the right side forward and then with the left side forward to get a center line. In some places you will get 2 lines so just split the difference there.
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I'm with the rest of the gang. Nice piece of osage. You should have no problems with that one. Did you steal that out of my wood shed? lol I have a few that look just like it just waiting thier turn.
Pat... thats a neat little device you've got there How wide is it between the posts? Danny
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Danny, it doesn't really matter. I used Eric's "gizmo" and just added the two dowels to the other side. The gizmo is 6" long.
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OK great thanks for all the advice I think I am going to burn it instead (just kidding). Now I am going to layout the bow but before I do can you folk give me some input on the type of bow that should be made from this bow. I read some where that I should not tie my hands with a pyramid bow instead I should go parallel to the middle of the limb. Is this correct?
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A lot will depend on what your draw length is and intended draw weight will be. For a 28" draw length anything from about 62" to 68". Being that osage is a strong, durable wood 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" at the fades and 1/2" at the tips will make a variety of draw weight bows. You can taper the limbs from the fades or go out 4" to 6" before tapering to the tips.
Instead of having a predetermined design I like to let the stave tell me what it wants to be. Follow the side to side contours as well as the back to belly contours when working with staves. With boards it is a bit different.
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That should only take a dozen or so attempts to steam it straight ;D
I'd swap it for the Yew stave I'm working on at the moment, it's a battle to find out which of us is the more stuborn >:(
Del
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That jig will only work if the stave is split. I just eye ball it. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/layout.html
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well I am going to try and lay it out tonight, will add pictures as it progresses. I am glad you all have rang in on the thread now will a hair dryer work or will i need to buy a heat gun?
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You'll want to use a heat gun, hair dryer won't get hot enough.
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You can do it over the eye of your cook stove but you will get much better results with a heat gun. Heat guns don't have to be expensive to be good either. I got my B&D 2 speed about 10 years ago at a garage sale for $5 and it has heated a lot of osage and other woods and helped to straighten lots of hardwood shoot and cane shafts.
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Yep,.. I'll be making one of those center line gizmos tomorrow! haha
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After years of teaching my eye to find the grain lines down the length of the staves, I doubt if I can get myself to trust one of those wierd gizmos. From the looks of the sides of this split stave, folowing the grain is going to be really easy whether you go gizmo route or eyeball. This stave should be pretty forgiving of minor errors all around, it looks pretty sweet.
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Put the stave between you and bright sun light and the grain should jump or at least be more visable.
I use my contraption when I have a very crooked stave. It is only a guide anyway. My bows still follow the grain.
The "Gizmo" is Eric Krewson's tillering aid and a must in a wood bowyers box IMO. All I did was put cedar arrow cut off in the backside of Eric's Gizmo for my centering tool. Not my idea but my tool. ;D
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Sunrise to start a bow and end a bow. Pat says to put the bow between you and bright light, you betcha....sit on the front step at sunrise with your coffee at your side and take your time drawing in the lines. Your eyes are more rested and better able to see details, plus it's usually a calm time when others are still asleep.
Then when you are finishing out with the sanding there you are, the sunrise, a cup of coffee, and your sandpaper out on the step again. Sight down the limbs and look for toolmarks and dings to sand away. Something kinda zen-like about it. No matter how I may curse a stave in between, those are the time I am most in love with her.
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That soumd great and I do like coffee. OK my draw is 25.5 inch and I want to make a 55 lbs bow earlier someone said that the design might be dictated by the # and draw length any input on that before I draw this up.
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60" straight limb, 1 3/8" at the fades and a straight taper to 1/2" tips(to be reduced later). For me it would be a symmetrical design with a 4" handle centered on the bow. Fades would be 1 1/2" long, rigid tips and limbs that bend right up to the handle. I like to feel the handle "give" a tad at my full draw(26").
If you want to jazz it up a bit recurve the last 6" of the tips or just kick the tips up a bit.
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That is a beautiful stave. Looks clean and long. Hard to get in Osage. Looks like a Osage war bow candidate to me. Any of you guys out there wanting to make a war bow out of Osage ought to see if he is up to trading. Dean
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I think I have a 60 inch string packed away if that is the case should I make it 63"
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Pat those sound like good dimensions to me, the one I just finished 59" long 1-11/8 at the fades same handle and fade dimendsions and it came in at the desired 45# I was shooting, for so I think that added mass might do the trick for a 55#er.
JW...its good to see ya online again, no doubt the coffee in the morning whilst bonding with the wood is a good thing for sure and suing the sunlight to your advantage is I'm sure and age old thing amongst bowyers.
Danny