Osage Bow (that hopefully doesn't take 10 months)

[Marin]

Can I start carving the profile or is the layout not good enough?

[Marin]

I started carving the profile. I used the ferriers rasp which was quite quick but took a lot of effort.
Just wondering do you guys use a rasp for shaping or a draw knife?

[Knoll]

Rasp is safer. I use drawknife for roughing out front profile. Then switch to rasp to shape to your line.

[Marin]

Well, I rasped down to near the outline.vim going to final shaping after I do the tips. Before I rasp down to the tips, just wanted to check if you guys thought I had drawn them right?

[Marin]

My tips are fine right? 

[DuBois]

Great job to everyone involved in this one!
I have not been but I would say the 8" taper to tips as mentioned before while keeping to the grain is great advice.
Way to stick with it.

PS-I use a hatchet to rough out the profile and just keep a bit back from the outline and then rasp the last bit. It helps me follow the grain as it splits along it. Can end up with little tear outs and splitting into areas not wanted though so I take it easy.

[Marin]

Dubois,
What type of hachet do you use?

[Marin]

I did one tip on Friday and ran out of time to do the other one. The other tip is the one with the knot in it. Just wondering if any of you have any tips of how to deal with the knot? It's in the taper so the wood is being reduced a little on it's edges but it still follows the grain. Should it be fine?

[penderbender]

Just leave a little extra around the knot, just to be safe. You can always reduce it later. Cheers- Brendan

[Pat B]

Will you post a pic of your progress?

[Marin]

Okay I did the final shaping an I think I'm ready to do the belly taper

[Marin]

How do these dimensions for thickness sound : 3/4" thick at the handle, 5/8 at the ends of fades, and 1/2" at the tips. This is a semi rigid bendy handle bow so does the handle thickness have to be significantly thicker or will it be more subtle?

[Marin]

how do you draw the belly taper line? My stave curves a little and I tired using a trick I saw in the Osage bow section of TBB 1 where you put your fingers on the back of the bow so the pencil follows and undulations in the wood,but the pencil keeps moving about, messing up the line

[penderbender]

I do it like your describing. But do it in 6" sections. Practice makes you better. Maybe practice on some scrap just until you get the feel for it. I scribe things like this all the time so it's second nature to me. Hope that helps. Cheers- Brendan

[Eric Krewson]

Here is what I do;

I mark a line every 6" down the limb on both sides of the limb. I start at the end of the fade and make my first measurement, because I make slightly round belly bows I start at 1/2", every 6" I drop my measurement 1/16th" until I get to 1/4" at which point I carry this measurement to the tip of the limb.

With this the 1/2" measurement all the way to the 1/4" measurement I am rasping to a peak on the middle of the belly so my actual limb thickness is more than 1/2" even at the tip.

It is easier to get a uniform line doing it 6" at a time. I call this line the roadmap for your bow, don't violate it. If you have too much poundage after tillering the belly almost flat drop your side lines another 1/16" again stopping at 1/4".

I use the finger nail on the back of the bow to guide my pencil, you can get good at it with practice, the eraser is your friend. Sanding the sides of your limb and keeping them square makes the pencil marking easier.