Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: sadiejane on July 03, 2012, 10:51:18 am
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ok, so my bowmaking buddy nick came to town one nite with a gnarly old osage fencepost.
after cutting off one end that was a huge knot/rotted mess
we split it up into three pieces.
only one even looked like there may be any potential for making a bow
even tho it was osage, it was so old there was a cupla inches of rot all around the outside.
i worked on that one piece that nite and got really frustrated.
a lovely deep dark brown all the way thru, the rings were pretty tight and difficult for these old eyes to even see.
this photo shows after removing the worst of the rot
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1583-1.jpg)
there wasnt much wood to start with and still lots of rot to remove
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1585-1.jpg)
one end showed tiny rings till you got down so far there would be little wood left for a bow
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1584-1.jpg)
the other end showed better rings
and yes this end is clamped down just the way the previous pic was taken
so you can see the 45 degree twist
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1587-1.jpg)
at least three times i sat down with this gnarly stick determined to find a bow in there somewheres
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1586-1.jpg)
gotta run-tell ya the rest of the story later....
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What a teaser, Sadie! I gotta see how this turns out!
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I love the color of old osage. Good luck with it Sadie :)
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That will be something if you can pull it off Sadie.... How long is it?
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Lookin good! Can't wait to see how it turns out for ya :)
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I know what your up against Sadie, hard work but worth the effort. My first seven selfbows were made from osage fence post that the farmer said had been in the ground for 65 years, all tight ringed and hard as stone. That coupled with the fact that i had never made a bow before made for some serious hard work. Made three hunting weight bows for myself and four kids bows, one for each of my daughters. 14 years later and they all still shoot, that osage is some tough stuff. Good luck with yours and keep us posted. I'm betting you find a bow in there.
Greg
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That is coyote ugly! Bet there is a purdy one in there somewhere >:D
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Cool Sadie, I sure hope there's a bow in there. I have a whole rack of old fence posts. Should trade some of them off.
George
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Cool post ;) Teasing not cool >:D
Cipriano
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An optimist! I like it.
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Quit teasing >:( :D
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sorry fellas, its been a crazy week
having a holiday in the middle of the week leaves me confused what day it is and where im supposed to be.... ;D
on to the story:
well over a year has passed and im still thinking about that little
knotty bit of old osage post standing in the corner.
ive been making a bows a cupla yrs now, surely i can make one outta that.
have made em outta some pretty marginal bits of osage.
took it out again and again i got completely frustrated sure i would
end up making nothing but kindling...
somewhere along the line i joined primitive archer and have had a
great time here.
learned lots,
and have seen some amazing bows come from all yalls hands.
have also seen some nasty bits of wood become beautiful bows.
seen some break too, never to have a single arrow pass thru them.
"if yr not breaking, yr not making" thats what you fellas often say...
ok what the hell, it will be a bow or it will be kindling but it shldnt
just sit there in the corner ignored
in the meantime i have also had numerous conversations with folks here on pa,
and had the opportunity to meet a cupla yall.
both gun doc and occupant have showed up on wednesday nites to shoot bows,
talk bows, knap obsidian and swill a few adult beverages.
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Looking forward to keeping up with your challenge. :)
Pappy
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Sadie,
I have a very similarly colored billet from an old fence post that I've been waiting to work a mate for. I did sister splits from a short fence post and one has horrible knots in it. The other is a little short, but if you run out of length to get a bow from your piece let me know and I'll send my billet to you. Maybe spliced they'd make a bow, or you can have both billets of mine if you want. I have lots of posts, but have only worked a couple.
George
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thanks george-thats mighty kind of ya!
lets see where this goes first, the story will determine my worthiness...
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one wed nites that nasty old osage post came up in conversation
i drug it outta the corner and we all looked it over and gun doc
gently gave me a ribbing for being scared
as many of you have witnessed gun doc aint afraid of any old piece of wood
and loves a good challenge
so i shoved that sucker in his hand daring him to give er a try
that was several months ago
havent heard anything nor asked
figured it was either in the kindling pile or shoved in some dark
corner of gun docs shop
every so often gun doc has the opportunity to roll thru kc
sometimes on a wed nite, sometimes not
sometimes even tho its not a wed nite he gives me a shout
sometimes we meet down to the woodlot and shoot bows
monday he have me a shout and told me he had something to show me,
would i be around that evening.
well, as many of you know gun doc is not only a fine bowyer but a
better than average knapper
and does some fine carving outta wood and stone.
anything he had made i was sure gonna take the time to go check out.
i checked my calendar and low and behold the evening was free!
hollered at my bow guru wayne to let him know gun doc and i would be
meeting up at the woodlot later.
was he gonna be around-hmmm, waynes calendar was free too.
grabbed my trade bow as i wanted gun doc to get a chance to shoot it
before i finished it up and shipped it off.
wayne had liked the bow and i figured if i got a nod from gun doc too
then id be feeling pretty good about shipping it off to its new home.
wayne had dug up a cupla his bows too
cool, a evening hanging with the boys and shooting bows
doesnt get much better than that
gun doc and wayne were standing round talking when i got there
we headed out to the woodlot to shoot a new bow gun doc had just finished up
whaddya know-gun doc and done it-he had made a bow outta that old post
it was a lovely thing to behold
and a great little shooter to boot!
man, he pulled it off-i was amazed and delighted
we shot it a bit, shot the others too
then gun doc told me to take a look under the coyote fur he'd wrapped
the handle with
to my utter surprise and delight it read:
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1856-1.jpg)
wow, for me!!!
have to be honest it brought a tear to this old gals eyes.ok enuf of my verbage.
heres some pix:
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1855-1.jpg)
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1857-1.jpg)
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1873-1.jpg)
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1868-1.jpg)
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1859-1.jpg)
hopefully gun doc will add the pix he has too
thanks for sticking to my long winded story
hope yall enjoyed
will get a full draw shot as son as my shoulder heals a bit better
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Wow! Heckofa nice bow, there Josh! See Sadie, you shouldn't have been such a chicken!
;) :D
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yr right stringman-i was a chicken
but to my own benefit in the end-gun doc made a mighty fine bow
sure i wouldnt been capable of pulling it off in nearly as fine a manner
but the story is not completely finished...
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I really enjoyed coaxing a bow out of that post! Thank you for that Sadie. I have to admit that i was doubtful a few times while working on it. I don't believe there was an extra ounce of sound wood in that post that was not needed for the bow. It ended up 49" ntn and I wanted 26" draw out of it so it got a couple layers of sinew. I then tillered it for the most speed I could get without stack. It ended up pretty fast. 160fps avg with 350gr arrows. They were a little light I know, but all that i had. The skins are garter snake that i caught on my place. Here are a few more pics. Josh
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mighty fine bow josh!
thank you ever so much!!!
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Wow Josh that's a fine looking weapon. That old Osage has a neat color to it. Congrats Sadie on a super gift.
Cipriano
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btw-the color of that bow is the color that old post was all the way thru!
ok so i didnt follow thru and get a bow outta that stave myself
but over the holiday i was digging thru a pile o wood at the house
and found this!
thought id disposed of the other two bits of wood outta that post
but whatdoyaknow
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1875-1.jpg)
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1876-1.jpg)
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1877-1.jpg)
(http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/DSCN1878-1.jpg)
ok, i wont give up on this one
make it or break it....
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Are ya sure josh didnt steal that from a museum and pawned it off on you :laugh:
Nice job n decor
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Mad as a badger for taking that on but, what a bow,
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Icredible! Imagine the one who hammered in that fencepost could see what became of it! ;D
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Very nice job doc....congratulations on your new bow sadie ;)
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"man, he pulled it off-i was amazed"
Me to!!!!! Great job Doc ... You're a lucky lady there sadiejane!!!
What a Slick shooter and from a what? Very well done!!!
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Sweeeeet! You're a lucky girl, Sadie! Nice job Doc.
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That bow has a wicked cool look to it, garter snake and coyote fur are beautiful on that aged sage. Very artistic work on that bow Gun Doc and great bend on such a short bow. Congrats Sadie thats a cool one.
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Thanks fer da kind words! I was afraid that I was gonna have to eat crow after teasing Sadie. When she handed me that post, it was definitely time to put up or shut up! For once, it turned out all right. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with the rest of the post Sadie! Josh
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Beautiful bow,very nice work. :) The bend is sweet.
Pappy
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I like very much these bows made from rescued staves. ;)
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Super job Gun Doc.That one deserves the saying making a silk purse out of a sows' ear or making lemonade out of a lemon.Lesson on patience and persistance.Bet she was hard as a rock to take wood from.Like everything about it.
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Thanks fellas! Ed, it was a pleasure to meet ya and yes that old Osage was pretty hard. However, chasing a ring on it was pure pleasure. Even with the thin rings and 15 knots. The draw knife just slid through the early growth like it was on rails!
Blackhawk, I believe that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said about one of my bows! I might have to get a bigger hat after that. Thanks. Josh
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Great job GD! I'll have to have you show me how to do that @ the Classic next year. ;)
Good for you Sadie, looks like you got a deal there.
dp
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Great job GD! I'll have to have you show me how to do that @ the Classic next year. ;)
Good for you Sadie, looks like you got a deal there.
dp
yuppers-i made out like a big dog on that bow
never expected nor intended for josh to make me a bow outta that old bit of osage
but you can believe i was thrilled with the gift
it is one of my most prized possessions
josh-thank you ever so much
i LOVE that bow!!
and you so deserve the BOM for it!
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Wow! Awesome bow!
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Beautifull bow Josh, you did a heck'uv job getting a bow out of that. And lucky you, Sadie.
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Wow, as a rank amatuer I'm amazed!!! Beautiful bow!
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Beautiful bow; tremendous job getting a shooter from that log!
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Thank you very much! I appreciate the kind words. Josh