Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: PEARL DRUMS on January 08, 2012, 06:28:11 pm

Title: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on January 08, 2012, 06:28:11 pm
 The bow was fully tillered and shooting very good. Had about 20-30 shots through it. The top limb just blew mid way. It looks "dusty" inside almost? There was no knot in that area. The wood seemed funny to me right from the start. It took allot more wood to make a 52# bow than it should have, almost 1/2 again as much. Most of the working limb was well over 1/2" thick. The bow was 66" ttt, 1 1/2" at the fades and tillered wonderfully. I did notice the early/late growth was not very clear. Oh well! You lose some and you win some..................I just hate losing. >:(
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: JW_Halverson on January 08, 2012, 06:46:18 pm
Dusty???

Any chance you can get extreme closeups with your camera?
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: artcher1 on January 08, 2012, 06:46:56 pm
I haven't seen any type bow I can't break Pearly ;D. Sorry for you loss man! :'(
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on January 08, 2012, 06:57:53 pm
Almost powdery like J-dub. Our camera really, really sucks. The early wood was too thick and mushy I think. It was a funky chunk right from the start. I have noticed that hard, dark orange hedge is much better and takes much less wood to make a bow compared to pale yellow, soft feeling hedge. I have plenty of opportunities stacked around here to try again!
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: mikekeswick on January 08, 2012, 07:16:44 pm
What does the back look like?
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: osage outlaw on January 08, 2012, 07:45:41 pm
Was that one of the staves I sent you?
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on January 08, 2012, 09:45:08 pm
The back was perfect Mike. I went down three rings. It was in great shape with only a few small thorn knots towards the tips. I just took the half that wasnt broke and tried to break it. I couldnt lean on it hard enough to even break it. There must have been a decayed spot in the other limb or something. It was Clint. Thats just the way it is man. Unless you have a sixth sense used for picking perfect staves, it wont matter where it came from buddy! I attached a pic of the break, its about 12-15" long and about half the width of the limb. The othe rpic is the one and only tiller pic I have.
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: toomanyknots on January 08, 2012, 09:58:24 pm
Maybe the wood was just really dry? It is January, even though it sure is warm for January...
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: mullet on January 08, 2012, 10:41:55 pm
Well,, you're in the Club, too ;D ;)
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on January 08, 2012, 10:50:52 pm
Eddie I think I was around 30 for 30 or so with yellow wood! I was starting to think a guy couldnt break an osage bow if it was tillered right and built accordingly. .................WRONG
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: MWirwicki on January 08, 2012, 11:08:27 pm
Nice tiller on that bow, Drums!  Hey, sorry for your loss.   :'(  Sometimes, it just happens.  Mother Nature is evil and vicious, sometimes.  >:D
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: mullet on January 08, 2012, 11:34:21 pm
Like Matt said, you can't piss Mom off. ;)
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: osage outlaw on January 08, 2012, 11:39:39 pm
I bet you can't do it again >:D

You better get that heat gun ready ;)
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: DRon knife on January 08, 2012, 11:45:34 pm
That looks dry to me,I had the same kind of fracture with hickory-powdery and no real splinters,when I check it with my meter it was about 6%,very nice looking bow tho...
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: gstoneberg on January 09, 2012, 12:05:04 am
I've never broken an osage bow that didn't have a flaw of some sort or insect damage.  PD, I don't think this had anything to do with your work.  Start another ASAP.  30 for 31 suggests that your odds for success next time are excellent!! ;D

George
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: artcher1 on January 09, 2012, 09:37:27 am
Well, since everyone is guessing, here mine ;D..........Fast Flight string maybe?
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: Eric Krewson on January 09, 2012, 10:59:37 am
I run into some osage that is light and chalky. I never make a selfbow out of it but it is OK for a bamboo backed bow.
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on January 09, 2012, 11:09:56 am
Well, since everyone is guessing, here mine ;D..........Fast Flight string maybe?

Dont even start with me ol' man! I still had my B-50 tiller string on her!
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on January 09, 2012, 11:13:19 am
I run into some osage that is light and chalky. I never make a selfbow out of it but it is OK for a bamboo backed bow.

It definately had a look and feel to it that just wasnt right Eric, and it was very weak. My tools kept plugging up the whole build. I believe the wood was stored inside and I believe its about 2-3 yrs cut and peeled. I let it sit in my house for one week to acclimate. Our humidity is pretty good right now upstairs.
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: artcher1 on January 09, 2012, 01:46:28 pm
You got a humidity/temperature monitor Pearly?
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on January 09, 2012, 01:55:09 pm
In the upper part of our house, not in my shop though. I leave bows Im working on upstairs and just carry them back and forth. I tried again to break the other limb and it wont! I think I just got a bad section on one limb that didnt want to be a bow. Keep up your smart comments and that billet quality I promised you just keeps going dowwwwwwn!
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: artcher1 on January 09, 2012, 02:57:02 pm
Yeah, you'd probably send some old 20 year fence post or something!
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: Buckeye Guy on January 09, 2012, 04:04:50 pm
I am sure it is not the wood in the bows fault !!
It has to be the boyer !!
 After all everyone knows how good that yellow wood is !
 After all I know a man from that state up north that wants me to build him a selfbow because he broke three bows last year ! They were all glass bows one was a Shrew and one was a Bear take down he broke the bracket on ,that took out the riser and the limb when it went so after all it must be the Boyer's fault !!
 But then I have been quoted before as saying wood can be dry rotted even in a live tree so we will give you this one pass !!
Hope to see you real soon !!
Guy
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: rossfactor on January 09, 2012, 04:13:57 pm
Didn't know Osage could break.  ;D
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: toomanyknots on January 09, 2012, 04:46:51 pm
Sometimes the wood can just be crazy. Wood is by far not always the same, even in the same place, ten feet apart from each other. Sometimes I suspect wood is not very healthy wood, sometimes it gets sick and doesn't turn out real meaty like it should. Or sometimes being sick seems to turn out even better wood than it would normally... I cut a mulberry tree last summer, and I looked at it, and there was NO SAPWOOD. Only PURE HEARTWOOD, starting right under the bark. I peeled the bark off and the only thing was orange wood. The rings were super tiny. Ridiculously tiny. After letting it dry and everything, I think what is was was some decease or something making it that way, as there were parts of the tree that looked sick or something, after it dried I could see a tiny color variation between like 1/16" or maybe 1/8" of the the first couple rings with the rest of the tree, so I think it has sapwood, just orange sapwood. Either way it is very little, and the wood is very dense for mulberry, but it definitely is mulberry, as it came from a row of mulberry I have cut from for a couple years...
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on January 09, 2012, 06:46:19 pm

Hope to see you real soon !!
Guy

Wait a minute.............We didnt invite any Buckeye's to our party! I guess you know what shirt I will be wearing Guy!
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: osage outlaw on January 09, 2012, 07:28:45 pm
That stave was stored inside my garage.  I'm not sure what was wrong with it.  Pearly turned another stave from that same tree into a fine deer killin' bow.  Must have been a week spot hiding in it.  I'm going to see if he can break another one  >:D
Title: Re: Just broke my first osage bow.....
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on January 09, 2012, 07:42:27 pm
The other limb is indestructable Clint. I guess only half of Clints staves are any good! :) He is correct. My "Curvey Canebrake" bow came from the same stump and that short bugger takes a whippin' every time I draw it back.