Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Lee Lobbestael on April 12, 2016, 05:26:40 am
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Hey guys, I just finished tillering an osage bow and I noticed this small crack in the back of the bow. The crack is very small and seems to be confined within this small knot. I dont like that its running across the grain. What do you guys think? Will it hold? The bow is 52#@28" 67" tip to tip and almost two inches wide. Here is a picture.(http://i756.photobucket.com/albums/xx203/Lee1_photos/crack.jpg) (http://s756.photobucket.com/user/Lee1_photos/media/crack.jpg.html)
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Lee - I'd flow some super glue in the crack while it's strung. Then shoot it some more keeping an Eye on that spot. Should be OK - Bob.
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What Bob said but I will add, if you have it already tillered it looks to me like you really need to clean up the back, I never start tillering until the back is pristine also you might clean out around the knot and get all the dead/rotten stuff away then super glue. :)
Pappy
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Ok I actually did just that. I super glued it when strung. Seems to be holding. Good point on cleaning up the back of the bow. Usually I sand it completely smooth before tillering. Not sure why I didnt this time. Thanks guys
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Ok I actually did just that. I super glued it when strung. Seems to be holding. Good point on cleaning up the back of the bow. Usually I sand it completely smooth before tillering. Not sure why I didnt this time. Thanks guys
Sand the back? I tried teaching a guy how to make bows about 15 years ago and he did the same thing, after I told him not to. He got a solid clunk on the head for his efforts when the bow exploded. He decided he didn't want to make bows after that
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Yes, sand it down to at least 220 grit. I go up to 700 grit.
When tillering knotted areas, I make sure to leave them a little flatter than the rest of the limb.
Jawge
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Ok. Marc you don't sand the back of your bows?
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Round corner edges too Lee before any serious bending.Sure you know that too though.
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I don't see no stinkin' crack! Can you maybe describe it better. I would like to see what you guys are talking about. This happens quite often to me. People talking about a flaw that I can't see. And my eyes are pretty good too :D
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Zoom on in there buddy! ;D
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Oh, that. I just assumed that was the edge of the bark that you left in the knot.
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Aint no thing Lee. Id be more surprised if a knot like that didn't pop a bit.
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Thanks thats a relief. I really like the way this bow is turning out and its my first one in six months and the first one in my new house which we have been building all winter. Ill post the bow when it is all finished up.
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What Bob said but I will add, if you have it already tillered it looks to me like you really need to clean up the back, I never start tillering until the back is pristine also you might clean out around the knot and get all the dead/rotten stuff away then super glue. :)
Pappy
+1
When I finish thank of my bows I mainly use a pristine scraper and on careful not to leave any stop and start marks withe the scraper. I use a curved scraper or my curved edge of my small pocket knife to get in all of the unusual places. When I'm done I burnish the heck out of the back. (after rounding the edges of course) the back normal looks and feels like I sanded it to 2000 grit and put a clear coat over it.
Patrick
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Ok. Marc you don't sand the back of your bows?
Never on a selfbow
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I gotta admit I'm a little confused just want to make sure I'm reading this right. Some of you guys never take any sandpaper to the backs of the bow? I always do to remove the rest of the pith and clean it up a little.
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I don't. I use the curved part of my pocketknife to scrape away any unwanted crap. I once used the little wire brush that comes with the Dremel tool on the back of a yew bow. It cleaned the last little bits of bark out beautifully. Left the wood unmarked. I'm so paranoid about backs that it bothers me to round out the handle a bit.
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Buncha' paranoid wierdos! :)
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:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:!
Patrick
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If you guys don't sand the back of your bows, how do do you get em smooth?
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I always sand my backs to 220 grit.
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What's under the bark is already smooth, well, smooth enough.
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I don't sand the back, at least not much. I do all my cleaning when I am chasing the ring with my scrapper, I don't sand much anyway except the edges/tips and some on the belly. An as far as knot cracks Pearl, I have had very bad luck if the crack runs across the limb at a knot, no problem much if it runs longitudinally, not paranoid just from my experience. ;) :)
Pappy
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I always sand down to 240, sometimes 320
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Wood pretty well always has some character under the bark, such as ridges, hollows, lumps, and if you start sanding you will sand the ridges more than the depressions causing irregular ring thickness and if you have thin rings then this could be a serious problem. Sand the edges always but never the back
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Wood pretty well always has some character under the bark, such as ridges, hollows, lumps, and if you start sanding you will sand the ridges more than the depressions causing irregular ring thickness and if you have thin rings then this could be a serious problem. Sand the edges always but never the back
How is it in 7 years of making, reading, and being around all this stuff this is the first time I am aware of this? Learn something new every day, I guess... ???
I see the point, Marc. I don't sand much. Just get any funny business out of it, hit the edges, and a quick once over.
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I have sanded the backs on 150 or more bows, almost all osage, to a slick glass like surface, no problems so far.
I have never seen osage that had consistent ring thickness from one end to the other so I don't feel like removing a few thousands of wood from the back will make any difference whatsoever.
I go over the back with an orbital sander first to get rid of all the washboard left from scraping and follow up with hand sanding to get rid of the little swirls the orbital sander leaves.
On very thin ring osage I don't use the orbital sander and exercise caution with my sandpaper for obvious reasons.
I like the backs and bellies slick, like this one. This bow had 13 drying checks in the back filled with superglue and a slick back. It is my oldest bow and neither sanding the back or filling the checks with superglue has ever been a problem.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/bow%20making/filledcheck2.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ekrewson/media/bow%20making/filledcheck2.jpg.html)
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If i chase rings i sand. If the back is under the bark i barely sand
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Orbital sander? Ouch, I guess it's my turn to learn something, although I still won't do it ;). A scraper is about it for me
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I like that Marc,. I sometimes lightly sand, but I think I will stop doing that, whats the point if you might compromise the back,, I guess really no need to sand if the back was worked properly,,thanks for the tip,,
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There lots of ways to skin this fish.
I sand the backs on my bows. I like the way it looks.
You can also get it really nice looking using just a scraper.
You can also get it really pretty by burnishing. I don't do that too much but when I have, I liked the effect.
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Unless I've peeled the bark on a whitewood bow I always sand the back, belly, sides, tips and handles. Didn't know I shouldn't. ;D
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I do final tillering with an orbital sander followed by hand sanding because I don't like washboard bellies on my bows.
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I sand all my backs and always have. I use a sanding block on the belly to knock off the last 3-5# and rid it of any wash board ripples, same with the fades. I just cant stand rippled fades! Gotta be a smooooove ramp.
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I sand all my backs and always have. I use a sanding block on the belly to knock off the last 3-5# and rid it of any wash board ripples, same with the fades. I just cant stand rippled fades! Gotta be a smooooove ramp.
I go all OCD on that same issue. Drives me batcrap crazy, can't sleep for weeks, teeth sweating, coffee cup jittery, snapping at old ladies in line at the grocery store, mean and ornery.
Always wondered if that was just my special burden!
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Don't like ripples or wash boarding either but can get them out with a scrapper most of the time much better than sanding. Like was said, lots of way to skin a cat. :)
Pappy
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If you are making bows strictly for yourself then you can do what you want with the back but if your bows are going out to someone for whatever reason then I say better to be safe than sorry
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I never sand an outer ring back. It's already as smooth as can be.
Sanding a worked down to growth ring is a bit different because you've already started working on it to some degree. Leaving a small amount of early wood as a buffer for sanding is your safest bet.
However the woods that are generally worked to a ring are tension strong and a bit more forgiving obviously so it depends what gives you the most peace of mind.
Bamboo is probably the best example you can use for showing what happens when you sand too much.