first elm wackedy thingy."" finshed pics""

[4dog]

Any ideas to do with this besides ,,, make it a bow..lol

[4dog]

Oh and be gentle,, this is my 2nd bow build, the first is osage and its still curing, its at floor tiller now.   

[Joec123able]

If that were my piece of wood I would probably steam that sharp bent spot under the handle area and bend it backwards to be more even with the other limb but I'm sure someone will comment and say that's a stupid idea..... Or maybe not

[4dog]

Heres one more shot of that cute lil stick pokin out ,, im thinkin its too close to use cause its only a foot from the end??

[4dog]

Wow ,,im a man alone.

[Buckeye Guy]

not sure what else you would want to do with it , so make a bow !!

[4dog]

Lol see thats awesome,, ok i was thinking pyramid or holmgarrd, but is that knot in a bad place for either of those , i guess im just stuck cause the knot is on the end not the middle of the limb,,, a shortie perhaps, since its only my 2nd bow and i still havent finished the first , i know just enough to get it to floor tiller, beyond that , i need assistance.

[sonny]

leave the limb around that knot 'bout as wide as it is now and taper from there.

I can't see a pyramid or holmgaard in that stave..
 

[4dog]

Thank you Sonny should i taper both ends at the same point?

[Bryce]

Don't steam and make the limbs match. There's really no point, in risking cracking the stave. Just be aware of it while your tillering.
Should make a nice bow

[sonny]

Thank you Sonny should i taper both ends at the same point?

yes.
but leave the tips wide for now so you can adjust for string tracking.
   

[4dog]

Well , im just going for it, if it bends great, if it breaks great, at least im gonna have some idea on the next one.

[mikekeswick]

In my opion you would be much better off going and cutting a straight piece of wood.
Don't get me wrong there almost certainly is a bow in there but getting a good bow out of that stave would require someone with a good deal of experience.....and for lots of reasons!
If you are up for the challenge and want things difficult then go ahead rough it out and then post lots of pictures as you progress....it's just I think that when you are beginning to learn about making bows you can do yourself a lot of favours by starting with the straightest piece you can find. This way you are learning about bending wood without having to also deal with all the factors that a character stave will throw at you.

[TEE TAW]

I have one like that drying on the porch. Go for it. Its good practice 

[lowell]

Give it a good try!!!!

  The worst that can happen is you get another tomato stake!!

  Don't ask me how I know about tomato stakes!!