Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => HowTo's and Build-a-longs => Topic started by: Dclarke on July 03, 2012, 11:21:56 am

Title: pin knots while chasing a ring on first Osage stave
Post by: Dclarke on July 03, 2012, 11:21:56 am

I won a bid for an Osage stave off of e-bay a couple of months ago.  :o
Last night I started chasing a ring and got about half of it done.
I have the second half being worked but I have a couple of pin knots that I need to work around and I am not quite sure how to do that  :-\
I have been lucky with this as there are only two that I can see and one is on the very end of the stave and probably will be eliminated when it is cut down to the knocks

Also has a twist in it I think is called a propeller twist? That I will have to take care of later, right now I am concerned with getting around the knots
Any help is greatly appreciated

thanks

Doug

Title: Re: pin knots while chasing a ring on first Osage stave
Post by: osage outlaw on July 03, 2012, 12:11:43 pm

My favorite tool for chasing a ring around knots and pin knots is half of a pair of scissors.  If you can find an old set that is all metal, those seem to work better just take them apart at the joint.  You can take the point and really do some precise scraping with it.   

Title: Re: pin knots while chasing a ring on first Osage stave
Post by: Dclarke on July 03, 2012, 01:53:34 pm

Thank you Outlaw for the scissors tip!
Do you scrape up to the knot from all directions?
Or do you start at the knot and scrape away from it?
Do you scrape around it but not to it and leave it for last?
I am really clueless about how to approach this  ???

Title: Re: pin knots while chasing a ring on first Osage stave
Post by: osage outlaw on July 03, 2012, 04:44:46 pm

I'll drawknife all around it and leave a little island of growth ring around the pin knot.  To keep from tearing it out, you can set the drawknife or scraper right in front of the knot and pull away from it.  Then use the scissor piece to carefully scrape the island from around the pin knot.

Title: Re: pin knots while chasing a ring on first Osage stave
Post by: osage outlaw on July 03, 2012, 06:21:00 pm

Here is one that I ground the sharp point into a more rounded shape.

(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14861.jpg)

Title: Re: pin knots while chasing a ring on first Osage stave
Post by: gstoneberg on July 04, 2012, 02:09:19 am

The way I work knots depends on how seasoned the wood is.  Really dry wood will often allow you to pry up the ring with the draw knife going into the knot and then you can grab the wood with your fingers and peel it off around and over the knot.  Saves a LOT of time and perfectly follows the ring, though sometimes the wood will rip at the knot and you have to use a scraper to clean it up.  Any moisture in the wood though and it'll tear into the the next ring down.  In that case I work similar to Clint though I use a skinning knife with a sharply curved blade and not a scissors.  Jawge posted pictures once of a set of teeny curved scrapers on handles that looked like the perfect tool for handling knots.  Don't know if those pics are on his web site or not.

Knots are fun...unless there's too many of them, but they really slow down the process of chasing a growth ring.

George

Title: Re: pin knots while chasing a ring on first Osage stave
Post by: Dclarke on July 04, 2012, 09:32:43 am

Thank you gentlemen
I appreciate the help!
Let's see what the future holds....  ::)

Title: Re: pin knots while chasing a ring on first Osage stave
Post by: Pat B on July 04, 2012, 02:02:17 pm

Like Osage Outlaw I leave an island around the knot until the rest of the back is clean. I then work the knot with a scraper, from the center and out all directions. I have done like George suggests but have had splinters split out and had to go down another ring.  Whatever you do, go slow and be very aware of each scrape. It doesn't take but a second for something to go wrong if you are not careful.