Author Topic: Milk snake and osage  (Read 10374 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Sidewinder

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,946
Milk snake and osage
« on: March 04, 2011, 11:42:47 am »
Here is an osage bow I made recently. Its 61"  50@29. Milk snake back.15 stand dacron B50 string.  Its 1.45" at the fades and 1/2" at the tips.
  It started out to be a 68" bow but I had trouble with the tiller and ran out of room in draw length and had to pike it ( a first for me). I'm not sure I stuck the tiller but its pretty close and it shoots better than any bow I've made so far. I heat treated it and flipped the tips ( also a first ).I had originally intended it for my future son in law but he's a pretty big kid  ( 6'4  210lbs )and I think the 50is too light for him. I think he needs a 55 or 60 to get started, so I'm making him another one.  The stave had a few small knots on the back and the rings were about 1/8" or less. It had a little twist and some side to side aligmnment that I needed to correct. I origiinally tried to correct it over the campfire and the crook of a tree ala Al Herrin or Jim Hamm but that only got me half way to where I wanted to be. I then put the heat gun to it with some left over peanut oil from last years catfish fry and it liked that treatment very well.t  I wrestled this stave for over a month and I think we have finally come to an agreement.
  For the record, when I killed the milk snake I did'nt know what it was. I looked it up and found out it was a benefical snake that kills rodents and other snakes so I have decided to let all the other milk snakes that I run across live but the copperheads are still fair game. I just need to find another onel ong enough to cover a limb.
 The skin looked all black until I skinned it and dried it out. The under neath side of the skin had some nice orangish red in it so I decided that dying the bow back red would help bring out the color and texture and looks really good. I maybe over did it on the finnish. I put on 6 coats of tung oil on the bow and then 2 coats of shellac and two coats of spar urathane in a satin. I liked the shellac but it was too shinny and the satin on the spar was just about right.












"You know a tree by the fruit it bears"   God

Offline Sidewinder

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,946
Re: Milk snake and osage
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2011, 11:52:26 am »








"You know a tree by the fruit it bears"   God

Offline Sidewinder

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,946
Re: Milk snake and osage
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2011, 11:55:27 am »






Thanks for looking.   Danny
"You know a tree by the fruit it bears"   God

Offline Bevan R.

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,691
Re: Milk snake and osage
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2011, 12:07:14 pm »
Great looking stick Sir!!. Been thinking about milk snake myself. They are listed as being in Nebraska but I have never seen one yet.

Bevan R
Bowmakers are a little bent, but knappers are just plain flaky.

Offline Pat B

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 37,609
Re: Milk snake and osage
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2011, 12:14:25 pm »
Very nice bow, Danny. Glad you got the pics to work for you.  ;)
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline half eye

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,300
Re: Milk snake and osage
« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2011, 12:19:09 pm »
Very very pretty.....50# makes a great hunting bow, dont see a darned thing wrong with that tiller.
rich

Offline Ryano

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,578
  • Ryan O'Sullivan, North Western Pennsylvania
Re: Milk snake and osage
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2011, 12:24:55 pm »
Nice bow. Must be nice to have that much osage in your back yard....lol. Even a stack of osage fire wood.
Its November, I'm gone hunt'in.......
Osage is still better.....

Offline bareshaft12

  • Member
  • Posts: 118
Re: Milk snake and osage
« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2011, 12:46:17 pm »
Sweet looking bow !

HatchA

  • Guest
Re: Milk snake and osage
« Reply #8 on: March 04, 2011, 01:07:09 pm »

Oooooooh...  that's NICE!!!

Love the tips!

Love the colour!

Love the skins...


....Love it!!  :)

Offline ErictheViking

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,504
Re: Milk snake and osage
« Reply #9 on: March 04, 2011, 01:38:16 pm »
that there is perty. I have never seen milk snake before(looks cool). you did an excellent job. everything is first rate. (really like the full draw)>
"He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart"  C.S. Lewis

Offline Sidewinder

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,946
Re: Milk snake and osage
« Reply #10 on: March 04, 2011, 02:34:07 pm »
Thanks guys.  I forgot to mention it only weighs 15oz. with out the handle treatment and string.

Thanks again for the picture help Pat.

Ryano...yeah osage is everywhere but not very good osage, its mostly good for a windbreak and firewood. I'm always rubber necking it looking for straight trees though.

Eric   it actually has more orange in it and some translucents when dried so I thought red would look good.Knowing that osage darkens with age I hope the dye keeps the red black contrast long term.  I still have the other half of the skin and its going to be with an orange base next time if I can find some good orange dye for the bow back.

danny
"You know a tree by the fruit it bears"   God

Offline sharpend60

  • Member
  • Posts: 355
Re: Milk snake and osage
« Reply #11 on: March 04, 2011, 02:52:05 pm »
That's a nice bow ya got.
I really like the unbraced profile.


Offline DEllis

  • Member
  • Posts: 397
Re: Milk snake and osage
« Reply #12 on: March 04, 2011, 04:05:01 pm »
Very nice! tiller looks perfect to me.
Darcy :)
Darcy Ellis
Fort Fraser BC Canada eh!

Offline woodsrunner

  • Member
  • Posts: 73
Re: Milk snake and osage
« Reply #13 on: March 04, 2011, 05:02:27 pm »
Very nice, really like the looks of the nocks. Great Job :) :)
Bowhunting is a passion, not an obsession. Its just hard for my wife to tell the difference sometimes.

Offline Ifrit617

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,596
Re: Milk snake and osage
« Reply #14 on: March 04, 2011, 05:39:53 pm »
Awesome bow and skins... Love it!