Main Discussion Area > Bows
First Selfbow - Osage Orange Bendy Handle
CypressCreekKnives:
Morning all! I have frequented this forum for many years and have done a lot of reading on selfbows. This week I finally had the time to start on a selfbow thanks to custom knife orders being slow ;D
I decided on a bendy handle design. The bow is made from some osage that I harvested back in 2020. The bow design is pretty simple, 1 1/4" at the handle and tapers down to 3/4" at the tips. The bow is 59" ntn and is ~47lbs at 28". Unfortunately, this stave was harvested from a dead standing osage tree and it has some pretty several deep vertical cracks in the upper limb. That resulted in me having to narrow the upper limb significantly. This also lead to the upper limb being thicker than the lower limb to compensate. The upper limb also has natural deflex, I think that in addition to the narrow and thick profile is the reason for the hinge midlimb.
I'm certain the bow won't last very long, but it was a great learning experience. I feel like the bow, though accurate, is a bit of a slow shooter. I need to shoot it over the chronograph to see.
Please take a look at the photos and give me your thoughts/criticisms. I'm already anxious to start my next build. Unfortunately, the osage staves I have aren't very good. So it looks like I'll be doing some board bows until I can harvest and season some hackberry and osage!
https://imgur.com/a/i4jZv2Z
willie:
--- Quote from: CypressCreekKnives on August 30, 2025, 02:51:50 pm ---I'm certain the bow won't last very long, but it was a great learning experience.
--- End quote ---
welcome CCK, looks like a challenging stave that turned out with a nice bend and some character.
is it modeled after a Native American example?
CypressCreekKnives:
[/quote]
welcome CCK, looks like a challenging stave that turned out with a nice bend and some character.
is it modeled after a Native American example?
[/quote]
Thanks! I was going for a cherokee style bow. Not sure if I hit the mark, but it was fun nonetheless. I need to find some books on native style bows.
Pat B:
Welcome CCK. You should have posted pics of the stave before you reduced the width. I built 2 bows from Osage that had plenty of checks(longitudinal cracks), some went all the way through the limbs. I filled them with super glue, doing it in sessions so the previous one cured before adding more. Both bows came out pretty well and as far as I know they are still shooting. Below are pics of the checks after fixing.
Also if, when you are posting pics, you click on the BB Code, message boards and forums, second from the bottom the pics will come up on the screen and not just a link.
willie:
--- Quote from: Pat B on August 30, 2025, 04:37:05 pm ---
Also if, when you are posting pics, you click on the BB Code, message boards and forums, second from the bottom the pics will come up on the screen and not just a link.
--- End quote ---
Hey Pat, where/how do I find the the place to configure or enable BB code? I do not think my editor window looks like yours.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version