Main Discussion Area > HowTo's and Build-a-longs

Character Osage Bow Buildalong.

<< < (7/9) > >>

PEARL DRUMS:
I grab a 4-6" long straight edge of anything when I need tiller help. A piece of board, a pencil or even a sanding blocks edge will work. Just something you can use to see that center gap change and indicate stiff or weak. That bow will deserve the most expensive skins you can buy!

blackhawk:
how wide is it at the handle dean?  you can narrow it some with a bendy handle bow...just make it a nice smooth n subtle transition,and make sure everything is all rounded and sanded smooth before serious bending.

Dean Marlow:
The bow was 1-3/8" wide at the handle so I went ahead and took it down to about 1-1/8" wide and just around 1" tall. Didn't get a allot done today. I went and watched my 7 year old grandson play basketball. Amazing how 6 and 7 year olds put there heart into playing. I just watched the Fighting Illini get hammered by Wisconsin. They need a little more heart in what they are doing looked like to me. I took my tape measure and measured every inch on both limbs and marked it with a pencil and tonight while I am watching T.V.  I will take the calipers again and measure the thickness and width on both limbs to try and get them fairly evened up before I start pulling on it. It is still quite hard to push by floor tillering so I still have a little more to take of where it needs it.

Dean Marlow:
I am going to do a little more work today on the bow and  what I have done is run a chalk line down the bow and I am quite happy how the tips  line up without using any heat. If  I can I will try and use the least amount of heat that I can because of all the twist and curves to deal with. The handle area the string is not completely straight down the handle because of the curve. when I hold the bow with curve bending to the right I think it will work fine with the tracking of the string. When I flip it with the curve running to the left it doesn't feel well in my hand because of the severe curve in the handle. As far as heating in some reflex in the limbs I am going to leave it alone for now. It isn't to bad the way it is. The big curve in the lower limb is deflexed with quite a bit of twist and I really reluctant to try and heat it up and remove the twist and deflex. The grain is so twisted there I believe I would be asking for trouble. It may come to some heat but no need to do anything with it until the time comes. I took my card scraper and sander and rounded the edges just a little. You should take the sharp edges off which will help in not raising a splinter.  I am going to cut some string grooves in the tips and get it ready for the string. My shop is not heated  and it is supposed to get up to 25 degrees here today so I will work just a little on it and go back in the house to warm up.

Dean Marlow:
I am sad to say looks like the buildalong has come to an end. I went ahead and cut my string grooves in the bow and put a long string on it and just pulled it a little ways and she gave out right at the  start. Had very little stress at all on the limb and she snapped. No warning just plain broke. I was surprised it was this limb. I always thought it would be the other limb with the big curve in it where all those vertical checks were. I had the edges all sanded down but looks like it quit on one of the curves and humps in the bow. This was a strange piece of Osage as far as floor tillering goes. Couldn't get it to bend for some reason. The limbs I had thinned down way more than usual. First piece of Osage that I have broken in a long time. Got a crooked mushroom stick though. Dean

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page