Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: hunter255 on July 20, 2014, 09:48:54 am
-
I just started working on my first self bow. I have a osage stave and i started chasing a ring. I have a couple of questions about it.
Here are some pictures
(http://[URL=http://s44.photobucket.com/user/hunter255/media/20140719_141207.jpg.html][IMG]http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f4/hunter255/20140719_141207.jpg)[/URL][/img]
Not sure about this area
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f4/hunter255/20140719_143415.jpg) (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/hunter255/media/20140719_143415.jpg.html)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f4/hunter255/20140719_143426.jpg) (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/hunter255/media/20140719_143426.jpg.html)
And round this knot
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f4/hunter255/20140719_143422.jpg) (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/hunter255/media/20140719_143422.jpg.html)
Thank you
Steve
-
Are you talking about those islands on the edge?
Use a scraper and start at the edge scraping away the wood.
See if this helps.
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/osage.html
Jawge
-
George's site has lot's of good info on this type of thing. I would caution that you could be down into a lower ring on those "islands" rather than merely having a small spot that more wood needs to be scraped away. Can't tell form the pic, but just make sure you know which it is before you go to scraping on that area. On the knot, take a scraper, draw knife, pocket knife etc.. and carefully remove from the knot until it is the same ring as the rest of the back. A little sandpaper on the last remains will clean it up nicely.
-
I'm new at this too but it looks to me like those islands are below the surface of the rest of the back and therefore on a lower ring..
If that's correct you'll have to take the rest of the back down to the new lower growth ring..
-
My first thought was that those were the next ring down also, but it's hard to tell from here. Good lighting, especially natural sunlight, is your friend...with the right angle, the rings really pop out and it is very clear. For knots, I like to work out from the center of the knot (downhill, I suppose) rather than from the rest of the limb into the knot (uphill) to avoid tearouts.
-
To me it looks like you just have to scrape those islands down to get to the growth ring your wanting... But it's hard to tell without seeing it in person
-
AI am doing this right now also I'll throw in my 2 cents. First off, go slowly. Take everything down except for the knots first. Then work on the knots. I found that if you use a scraper and go slowly then you won't violate that next ring. Good Luck.
-
Correct. One does not know for sure. Scrape the edge first; that way if you make a mistake it not catastrophic.
Thanks, SlimBob.
Jawge
-
Thank you everybody. I think i will go down another ring just to be safe.
-
You don't have to. 99% sure the islands are on top. Jawge
-
If those are on top, your minutes from being done.
-
Thank you for the information. I will scrape down those islands.
Steve
-
Looking at a magnified version of the second picture
http://s44.photobucket.com/user/hunter255/media/20140719_141207.jpg.html
looks like it's not an island on top. Instead this seems to be a ring lower :(
-
I worked on the stave again. I did violate a ring. I went down 2 rings.
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f4/hunter255/20140802_145223.jpg) (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/hunter255/media/20140802_145223.jpg.html)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f4/hunter255/20140802_145233.jpg) (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/hunter255/media/20140802_145233.jpg.html)
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f4/hunter255/20140802_145241.jpg) (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/hunter255/media/20140802_145241.jpg.html)
-
Looks like you have some mean checks in it. With few exceptions, I seal the back anytime I expose a new ring. Even if it should be dry.
-
I agree with Bob. I seal any newly exposed back no matter how old or seasoned the stave is.
Fill those checks with super glue and seal the back ASAP!
-
Thank you I sealed it with spar urthane
-
Did you get some superglue in the checks? If so, they won't be a problem on the finished bow if you keep the layout centering the check and don't let them run off the edge. I have one bow with 13 similar superglue filled checks.
-
Looks like you have some mean checks in it. With few exceptions, I seal the back anytime I expose a new ring. Even if it should be dry.
Slimbob and pat,
What do you seal the back with? Should it be something that that could be left on when the bow is finished and ready for skins? Or do you have to scrape the the new sealent off and put your backing of on then?
Hunter,
It seems you choose quite the challenging stave for your 1st bow :o. But your in the right place for the help you will need. These guys on the site can walk a blind man through the bow making process :laugh:. All the best
God bless
Tommy
-
I put something on that I sand off later. Shellack, Elmer's, anything that forms a moisture barrier will work. When I am ready to finish the back I sand it off. Very lite sanding.
-
Thanks Bob,
Would you say that white wood should be treated the same? The Reason I say that is the rings on the sap wood are so very thin and It rally don't take much to violate a ring. On the other hand if I was to going to back it with anything but some sort of skin, it really would not matter in the ring was violated. Would love some opinions on that.
God bless,
Tommy
-
Looking at the end of the stave with the check. It looks like it's only down one more ring. Should i go down another ring or 2.
Thank you
Steve
-
Bump
-
I honestly can't answer that question. On whitewoods I don't chase a ring unless I just have no other choice, which is almost never. I am an Osage guy. I have used elm, Hackberry, Pecan, Hickory, Maple, Persimmon and probably a few others, and I use the wood under the bark so no ring chasing.
As far as violating a ring and backing it, you can violate a ring and not back one and it might shoot forever, or it may break at the violation. Shoot for a perfect back first and then let all the other decisions flow from there.
-
I seal osage, no staining, with polyacrylic. Jawge