Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: mcginnis6010 on March 26, 2013, 04:44:31 pm
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Does anyone know how Osage handles as a bend in the handle bow? I have two seasoned staves that have some knots in them but otherwise straight. Oh and the the knots aren't huge the largest is about the size of a quarter and is located 2 inches from one of the tips.
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Does anyone know how Osage handles as a bend in the handle bow? I have two seasoned staves that have some knots in them but otherwise straight. Oh and the the knots aren't huge the largest is about the size of a quarter and is located 2 inches from one of the tips.
I would probably shoot for a stiff handled flatbow, as that is the best design for Osage. I am not sure how well it would handle a bend-in-the-handle bow. It would also be much easier to do a stiff-handled bow than a bend-in the handle flatbow, as it requires the highest degree of tillering skill to make- I am nowhere near that skill level... TBB mentions it once or twice.
-Squirrel
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Name a design that does NOT work well with osage. You can write them all down in the following box: []
The Southern Plains tribes built bendy handle bows for killing bison, for cripes sakes! They take a heap more killing than some thin skinned, pencil-ribbed, puny white tail*!
Many tribes in the southeast also made bendy handle bows in longer designs used from hunting on the ground, too. Fact is, osage will take far more bend than most bow woods because of it's amazing balance between compression strength and tension resistance. Yup, if you hanker for a handful of bendy, I say satisfy that craving!
*Up to and including any monster bucks out of Saskatchewan and Manitoba!
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I am gonna use the second stave as a flatbow but I would like to try a bend in the handle because I haven't made one yet.
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Thanks JW for the encouragement and do you think that I should be worried about that knot being so close to the tip? Ill try to post a pic today.
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You know what? No. Think of it this way....that close to the tip does now allow much leverage, so there is not much strain on the knot. The closer to the handle, the more leverage you got forcing a bend.
Nothing much to worry about there in the failure department. On the other hand, if you leave extra wood around the knot be sure to compensate by leaving a little extra weight on the other limb's tip to balance things out. That way both limbs will have similar harmonics and reduce felt hand shock.
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yep....what Jw said! Josh
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Hm... I got the idea that a bend in the handle bow would be hard with a handle riser.
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Osage makes great everything. There are no limitations, its been proven enough times over by many,many, many great bowyers. Warbows, short bows, statics, long bows, ELB's, bendys, NA and the list goes on. I rarely give knots a second look with osage, it has proven it worth to me a few times already.
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What Pearly said. Osage makes great bend in the handle bows.
Squirrelslinger: have you had problems with osage bend in the handle bows? Or just more sucess with osage flatbow styles?
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Bend in the handle precludes any riser. And that's why they are soooooo verrrry easy to make. No transition from bendy to stiff and wide to narrow to stiff and wide and back again to bendy! If the bow tapers fairly uniformly from the grip area where it is widest to the tips where it is narrowest, then the thickness of the bow varies much less than a stiff riser/nonbending handle bow is, too. That helps make tillering a breeze. I tillered a straight stick horse bow yesterday in 20 minutes using a jack plane! I had a fiished bow, ready to shoot, with less than an hour of work.
Mind you, it is red oak and I am cursed with red oak. It will fail and fail soon. Especially since red oak board bows do not make good 36" horse bows! I was just using it for an example.
McGinnis is required to post pics of this one, though!
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I think you might be a little confused slinger. A handle doesn't neccessarily entail a riser. Its simply where you hold the bow. Josh
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Osage bend in the handle bows are awesome. Bend in the handle bows of any wood do a great job at energy storage and if the handle does not bend too much, they are remarkably efficient. Jawge
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Thanks guys I'm pretty excited to start working my first Osage bow so far all I've been able to use is hickory, oak, maple, black locust, and cherry. Don't worry JW I will post pics.
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I think you might be a little confused slinger. A handle doesn't neccessarily entail a riser. Its simply where you hold the bow. Josh
I know that... I am thinking of those West Coast bows that bend in the handle that have risers. A riser is a stiff section with a different crosssection than the rest, usually thinner so it can be gripped better.
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Here's a pic of that knot I was talking about I forgot that there was a knot just like it about 6 inches down the limb.
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I see! you are referring to a narrow handled bendy handle. It takes a little more finesse to do, but its not difficult. And like has been said, Osage will handle that quite nicely. As it will handle most any design you want to try with it. That's assuming of course, that dimensions are adjusted appropriately for osages density and properties. I've even made the design work with walnut. Some would argue that walnut isn't even good firewood. I'm not one of those of course. Josh
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I doubt that knot at the tip will even be in the bow. More than likely, it'll just be a cool wiggle. The lower one could possibly give you a fit or two, as it comes in from the side. once you get your ring chased put up some more pics. That'll give us a better idea of what your dealing with. I'd be willing to bet that they won't be to much of a problem though. Josh
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If it can be made from another wood, it can be made from Osage. This includes a bendy handle bow. I'm with Pearl on the knots. Keep them off the edge and they are generally a non issue.
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Thanks for the advice guys ill post more pics when I can I probably wont be able to work with it until this weekend tho.
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Squirrelslinger: have you had problems with osage bend in the handle bows? Or just more sucess with osage flatbow styles?
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Haha Osage will work perfectly fine as long as you aren't making it a D shapped cross section make it flat it's probably the best wood for a bend in the handle with a flat belly of course were not talking about an English longbow which yew would be best for
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Once again, Osage is great in any style you can throw at it if properly designed and executed. This includes D-cross sectioned elb's. Now whether or not yew is better in that design is a question that has not and can not be answered definitively. Certainly can't be answered by me, as I have no experience with yew. Josh
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Couple folks on this thread need to check what time it is in the shop 8)
I love me an osage bendy....flat or round bellied ;)
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Does anyone know how Osage handles as a bend in the handle bow? I have two seasoned staves that have some knots in them but otherwise straight. Oh and the the knots aren't huge the largest is about the size of a quarter and is located 2 inches from one of the tips.
I would probably shoot for a stiff handled flatbow, as that is the best design for Osage. I am not sure how well it would handle a bend-in-the-handle bow. It would also be much easier to do a stiff-handled bow than a bend-in the handle flatbow, as it requires the highest degree of tillering skill to make- I am nowhere near that skill level... TBB mentions it once or twice.
-Squirrel
Umm no ! A D style bow is the simplest easiest to make bow possible to make I don't know what your talking about and Osage works perfectly fine for it
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Oh wow! Look at the time. Sure is getting on towards bed time ;) Josh
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Osage bendy handle is very rapidly becoming my favorite shooting /looking bow of any!!!