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Very first stave attempt...

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Jake Spoon:
Hello everyone,

After going 2/5 in my attempts to build a board bow, I made up my mind to try a stave. JW Halverson very kindly traded me an osage stave recently, and in the meantime I also acquired this piece of osage.

This is the first stave I have ever worked with.

Total length is 68"
At the narrowest point it is around 1 3/8" wide.
The thinnest section is around 2" thick.

Unfortunately, this narrow spot is almost smack dab in the center. My goal is to make a bendy handled bow. And, I would like to try for around forty pounds at 28".

The question I have, is do I have enough wood to work with if I am careful? I am willing to leave it long and to possibly back with rawhide as this will also be my first attempt chasing a ring.

You guys have been more than helpful in my recent attempts and failures and I am grateful for any advice you have on this thing. If nothing else, maybe I can learn something from it!

- Jake

bjrogg:
It looks like enough wood to get a nice bow.

The first thing you need to do though, is chase a ring to see what you really have to work with. It very likely will get a little narrower.

Bjrogg

Muskyman:
Hey Jake, I’m pretty much still a novice at bow building but the one thing I can say without hesitation is that Osage is amazing stuff.  Also if your narrow spot is at the handle area that’s fine in my opinion. Also you can laminate wood to the back to make a thicker handle. The growth rings look good on your stave. Like Bjrogg said chase your ring and you will have a much better idea of what you’re working with. Lighting has really helped me stay onto my growth ring. I have a bow I’ve been working on and it’s only 1&3/8 inch wide at the fades and it’s turning out pretty good.
I’ve got a feeling you’re gonna be happily surprised.
Good luck

willie:
nice ring growth

use all 68" and all the width that you have.....

ELB?

bentstick54:
I made my 1st Osage bow following the measurements for an Osage flat bow design shown in TBB vol.1 by Ron Hardcastle. Then I started seeing how far I could push the design. I have gone as narrow as 1-1/4” at the widest part of the fades, straight taper to 3/8” at the tips. My handles are approximately 7/8” wide and anywhere for 1” to 1-1/4” thick, then a thin leather handle wrap put on. Most bows have been about 50# @28”, but had one I tillered to 57# with no problems. It doesn’t take a lot of Osage to make a stout bow.

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