Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Vgo750 on March 12, 2015, 05:06:19 pm

Title: First Osage Bow
Post by: Vgo750 on March 12, 2015, 05:06:19 pm

Hey guys I'm excited to post up my very first non-board bow as well as my first Osage bow.  Comes from a stave from my brother in laws ranch whose late grandfather was a master selfbowyer.  Bro in laws grandpa cut this stave down over 15 years ago and it's been aging in his shed ever since...the bugs had definitely found it but amazingly didn't get to the hardwood or at at least didn't get past a ring or so.
62@27, 62" TtT, &1 1/2" wide out a lil ways before tapering to just under 1/2" tips. Slightly flipped tips. Had a few knots to deal with and some heat alignment to do but it all seemed to go smoothly.  I had this really cool kink roughly mid stave that turned out to lend itself to be an almost nature made center shot bow.  The top limb is 1 1/2" longer than the bottom and the deepest part of the kink is the arrow pass.
The tiller is not perfect looking, I know...a pretty long flat spot on the top limb.  That is partly intentional, partly out of fear, and partly because I just felt like I didn’t want to mess with how it was shooting.  I had just finished reading a post where someones bow snapped right below a knot like I have on my top limb and the responses were mostly "Leave spots with knots stiffer!" Lol.  So I did!
So after shooting and scraping and shooting and scraping I really didn't want to change anything about how it shoots now.  It draws smooth, hits where I'm looking with great authority, doesn't slap my wrist one bit, and is whisper quiet.
I built up a pretty large leather rest in the handle wrap cause this will be my stand bow this year (unless I make another one I like better before then) so it had to hold an arrow on its own.
I wiped it down with 2 coats of dark Trader Joe's coffee, and then finished up with 2 coats of polyurethane.
I have not named the bow yet.  All opinions and suggestions and comments are welcome.

Thanks for looking!
(http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy54/91mr2_album/osage%20orange/C7055C75-DB0F-4F8C-9993-AAB3922C2924.jpg) (http://s777.photobucket.com/user/91mr2_album/media/osage%20orange/C7055C75-DB0F-4F8C-9993-AAB3922C2924.jpg.html)
(http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy54/91mr2_album/osage%20orange/AFBE8948-9A34-4E19-8AA6-04D1E0163529.jpg) (http://s777.photobucket.com/user/91mr2_album/media/osage%20orange/AFBE8948-9A34-4E19-8AA6-04D1E0163529.jpg.html)
(http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy54/91mr2_album/osage%20orange/08B96881-157E-4BB1-B430-8F3CCE06AE29.jpg) (http://s777.photobucket.com/user/91mr2_album/media/osage%20orange/08B96881-157E-4BB1-B430-8F3CCE06AE29.jpg.html)
(http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy54/91mr2_album/osage%20orange/57FEE50E-38D3-4853-B587-10921DAE6B33.jpg) (http://s777.photobucket.com/user/91mr2_album/media/osage%20orange/57FEE50E-38D3-4853-B587-10921DAE6B33.jpg.html)
(http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy54/91mr2_album/osage%20orange/3C6265A6-C30C-40DC-9914-2B79641FA689.jpg) (http://s777.photobucket.com/user/91mr2_album/media/osage%20orange/3C6265A6-C30C-40DC-9914-2B79641FA689.jpg.html)
(http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy54/91mr2_album/osage%20orange/A46966F2-746C-4487-886A-338ECA637AD9.jpg) (http://s777.photobucket.com/user/91mr2_album/media/osage%20orange/A46966F2-746C-4487-886A-338ECA637AD9.jpg.html)
(http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy54/91mr2_album/osage%20orange/1BC0B79F-29B2-4271-B671-372F523A1212_1.jpg) (http://s777.photobucket.com/user/91mr2_album/media/osage%20orange/1BC0B79F-29B2-4271-B671-372F523A1212_1.jpg.html)
(http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy54/91mr2_album/osage%20orange/8C98D6D0-4D0C-416F-951D-1504C8E456B9.jpg) (http://s777.photobucket.com/user/91mr2_album/media/osage%20orange/8C98D6D0-4D0C-416F-951D-1504C8E456B9.jpg.html)
and then from 50 yards
(http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy54/91mr2_album/osage%20orange/9DAF003B-79EB-4C21-812E-625F30CC13AF.jpg) (http://s777.photobucket.com/user/91mr2_album/media/osage%20orange/9DAF003B-79EB-4C21-812E-625F30CC13AF.jpg.html)
ok, ok maybe it was 10  :)

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on March 12, 2015, 05:10:21 pm

Nice job on that tiller. First impression was the upper mid was stiff. After studying back and forth between pics I decided I like it!

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: bradsmith2010 on March 12, 2015, 06:17:20 pm

nice bow congrats,, :)

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: jeffp51 on March 12, 2015, 08:32:53 pm

Quote from: Vgo750 on March 12, 2015, 05:06:19 pm

I had just finished reading a post where someones bow snapped right below a knot like I have on my top limb and the responses were mostly "Leave spots with knots stiffer!" Lol. 

That was probably me :)  Nice looking bow.

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: Stixnstones on March 12, 2015, 08:37:59 pm

Congrats, very nice work.

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: Vgo750 on March 12, 2015, 09:51:42 pm

Jeffp51 thanks for posting what you did if that was you.  If itnwerent for my reading that i might have YET ANoTHeR broken bow :).  Thats whats great about this forum!

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: SLIMBOB on March 12, 2015, 10:00:49 pm

Nice one! 

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: George Tsoukalas on March 12, 2015, 10:41:36 pm

It is a beauty! Congratulations! Jawge

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: russell on March 12, 2015, 11:06:17 pm

Super nice bow.  Love the charactor in the handle.  Gives me hope... since I'm new to staves.  Just a few board bows under my belt.  Again - REALLY nice work.

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: Thunder on March 13, 2015, 12:05:47 am

Hey Michael, Nice work, really like all the character...time to start another one. >:D

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: Arrowind on March 13, 2015, 12:38:28 am

Very nice.  Great work!

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: bowster on March 13, 2015, 03:53:49 am

Very nice bow, I like this kind of centershot.

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: GB on March 13, 2015, 05:06:03 am

Very cool bow.  Nice work!

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: Del the cat on March 13, 2015, 06:20:26 am

Love the waggle in the grip  :laugh:
And the rest of the bow too...
Del

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: Pappy on March 13, 2015, 06:25:56 am

Got to love that ,using what mother nature gave you to your advantage  ;) :), very nice work. :)
  Pappy

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: Badly Bent on March 13, 2015, 07:55:03 am

Looks like you shaped that piece of osage into the bow it was meant to be, very nicely done.

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: Sidmand on March 13, 2015, 10:38:18 am

looks good brother man, congrats!  And if you got that group at 50 yards, I'd say your a pretty darn good shot as well!

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: Vgo750 on March 13, 2015, 11:14:37 am

lol it was at 10 yards I was just kidding in my post....but what i found out from shooting, and what I was really hoping for, with the near centershotness it shoots all of my various spined arrows about the same!  I shot arrows spined from 45-70 and they all shot great!  COOL!

Title: Re: First Osage Bow
Post by: Vgo750 on March 13, 2015, 11:15:57 am

and THANKS everybody for the compliments...they all mean a lot.