Newbie, Question about snakey Osage stave? Update! lay out question? pic heavy

[lebhuntfish]

I worked an Osage stave down tonight to pretty much a single back ring. Except for a few possible pin knots and a crooked spot. I would like to make a stiff handle flat bow out of it. The stave is roughly 64" long.

My questions are, did I violate the pin knots too much? Should I take it down to another back ring? (I really like the next one down, it had a little bug damage so I had to dig a little deeper than I wanted.) The mark on the stave is dead center, the really crooked spot is just below it. Where should I lay out my handle? If I put the center 1/1/2" down towards the crook I can just about get the whole thing in the handle and fades with a 9 or 10 inch handle. 

What do you guys think? What would you all do? Please be honest, will this stave make a bow? Thanks Patrick. 

 

 


 

 
 

[adams89]

No you did not voilate the pinnots to much actuallay you can get them down to one ring. Don't worry about them, if they are that small , normally i just work them out like the Rest of the back, and just have very very little standing around the nots. And yes your stave will make a bow, just go with the grain and if needed apply a lil heat to adjust the string. I would suggest a near pyramidal design' with parallel limbs in the beginning, so most of the nots will be out of the bow anyway.

[simson]

Looking at the cross section of your stave, I would say you have a premium piece of wood. Just work down to the next thick growth ring and it will be fine.

[Pappy]

I would do as simson said and go to the next ring,careful around the knots,I just island them out and work them out with a scraper last. :)looks like a nice piece of wood and with the size of the rings that should be a piece of cake to chase. The crooks can be easiely remover after it is floor tillered with heat or steam depending on the age of the wood.
  Pappy

[DarkSoul]

It appears that you've left two extra rings ON TOP of the bow's back, right? You didn't remove two rings extra to get below the back, did you? Hard to see perspective in the first pic...
Either way, that pin knot in the first pic is nothing to worry about, but that two rings island around it needs to go. Make the back one continuous growth ring, without extra rings around pin knots. The tree will have naturally compensated for the pin knots, by leaving it slightly raised. That will be reflected in your bow, once you've brought it all down to the same ring.
That crooked spot near the handle is also nothing dramatic and will just add character. But again, you need to remove those islands of rings that you left on top of the actual ring that is the back of the bow. ONE continuous growth ring - not one with some islands. Although islands in a STIFF handle will not be a problem.
With a 64" stave, I wouldn't cut it any shorter to make that crooked spot part of the handle. Just lay out the handle from what you've got so far and use the true center mark for lay out. That crooked spot might become the handle fade of the bow. No biggy, but makes for difficult tillering. I presume that crooked spot is similar on the belly side of the stave? It's not a big cavity of dead wood or a knot or anything?

[lebhuntfish]

Thanks guys for all your comments, I wasn't super concerned about taking it down to another growth ring. I pretty much chased that ring because it was the first clean one without bug damage that I found. I will try to take some better pics of the crooked area tonight.

 adams89, I know what a pyramid design is but could you explain the parallel limb part to me better please?

 DarkSoul, yes there is about two extra rings on top of the current back ring. I left them so I could ask you guy's before I worked them down with something smaller than my 10" draw knife.  The crooked spot in the handle kinda has some dips and rolls in it maybe causing a little propeller in that area. I'm posting a picture of the belly side of the crooked area. I'm pretty sure there was a limb growing out of it close to where the stave come from.  Thanks, Patrick

 

[lebhuntfish]

I finally got to take some pictures of the crooked section tonight. Didn't get a chance to work on it, I tried to get the best angles I could so you guys could see what I see. Let me know if these help. Patrick.

 

 

 
I turned it around in this one.

 

[lebhuntfish]

Well I got a chance today to work on chasing the next ring down. What do you all think about the pin knots and the crooked area now? When I'm done chasing this ring, should I sand the back smooth or wait until I am ready to start tillering? 

 
There is an odd glare in this pic, but it is a clean back ring.

 

 

 

[PAHunter]

Wow, nice stave!  Yep that next ring is beggin to see the light of day.  Keep us posted!

[SLIMBOB]

The pin knot should be a non issue.  The crooked limb might be.  The limb will have some torque against it when drawn.  I think I would consider trying to straighten it some once I had it worked down.  Leave it a tad wide and steam it.  Seems Osage Outlaw straightened one something like this one a while back.  Might get his take.  I don't sand the backs on mine at all until I'm nearly finished.  I know others get them good and clean earlier than that. 

[lebhuntfish]

Ok, I got it down to a single back ring all the way down. I laid out the bow through the stave. The dimensions are, 5"x1" handle 1/1/2"fades going from1"at handle to 1/1/4"at end of fade where the limb starts. Then from the fade out 9/3/8" it tapers to 1" wide then 9/3/8" it tapers to 3/4" then 9/3/8"it tapers to the 1/2"tips.

What do you think of my dimensions? Does my fades need to be longer, say 2"? Should I make my initial limb with 1/1/2" instead of 1/1/4"?

I have a couple of pin knots that's going to be close to the edge of the limbs. Should I leave it wide around them? What do you all think? I'm new to this and could use any and all pointers! Thanks guys, Patrick.

 

 

 

[SLIMBOB]

1.25" wide is doable at 64" long but, I would start out 1.5" wide if I were you and then narrow it a tad if you need to as you get close. Just added insurance. Follow the grain around the knots. It should flare out (the grain) and just simply follow it as faithfully as you can.  What draw length and weight are you shooting for?

[lebhuntfish]

I will do my best to follow the grain around the pin knots. I have never had to do that before so it will ae a learning curve for me. My first Osage stave was as clean as a whistle and almost straight.

I was thinking on 50lbs @28" I think I might do 45lbs though. I will make my mind up before I start vtillering. Thanks!  Patrick

[PAHunter]

I would start out 1.5" wide if I were you and then narrow it a tad if you need to as you get close. Just added insurance. Follow the grain around the knots. It should flare out (the grain) and just simply follow it as faithfully as you can. 

+ 1

1.5 seems to be a pretty standard limb thickness for an osage longbow.  You can always go thinner but can't add back.

[lebhuntfish]

Thanks guys, I will make the adjustment tonight before roughing it out, thanks Patrick