Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: JoJoDapyro on July 19, 2014, 06:30:57 pm
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I am starting to work on the Osage stave I got from Fred Arnold. It has some natural reflex, and that I like. It also isn't as straight as I would like, but it will give me a good challenge. In the attached picture you can see that it bends at both ends a little bit. I need to straighten it, how would you go about doing that? Thanks for all the free lessons. This is really quite fun, Lots of new things to learn!
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Joe, If that's the one I'm thinking of it's fairly flat on the back and you should be able to just clamp it belly up to the narrow side of a 2 x4 and apply dry heat. It's a pretty easy fix. Shouldn't have to get it that hot and just leave clamped until it cools. It might take a couple sessions.
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So just clamp it to the 2x4 straight and heat it? I like the deflex, just need to work the stave to line up the tips and handle. It is only out about an inch.
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Jojo I usually clamp a 50% correction...In other words place the stave on your caul or board and clamp the center...Look at limb tips and if they are 1 inch right of center then move 1/2 inch left of center as I heat and clamp...Allow to cool and recheck alignment...
Don
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I agree if you have a caul, otherwise just build up the center of the bows handle area on the 2x so that you're not losing any of the reflex when you clamp it down.
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Should I reduce the limbs to avoid breaking the stave?
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Jojo, I think your limbs are thin enough from the pictures...Do some research on heat bending and cauls...Osage lends itself to bending well with heat ;) You can build a caul but in a pinch you can place something between the handle and a flat board as Fred said, then bend the tips down in correction and allow to cool...I personally use dry heat with Osage from a heat gun...Here's some pics of start and finish...Notice the bow back to flat after tillering...Some areas of the limb were over 1/2 inch thick while heating...
Don
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What did the bottom bow turn out to be? I like the simple, clean lines/profile.
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Just to be sure that you are all picking up what I am throwing down. This photo is of the back of the stave. Here is the same photo showing what I would like to do. Thanks again.
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Yes, that's very doable...
Don
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I'd screw two 2x6 together in an l shape. Put blocks on the tips holding it away from the wall of the L shape and heat and clamp the center, bringing into alignment. I'd go for a little more than u need for it to be straight because it will bend back a little
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Just to be sure that you are all picking up what I am throwing down. This photo is of the back of the stave. Here is the same photo showing what I would like to do. Thanks again.
Shouldn't be too hard.
I laterally corrected an elm stave that was worse than that, but elm might take heat better than osage, I'm not sure.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,46204.0.html (http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,46204.0.html)
I ended up with a small crack in the handle because I didn't heat a long enough section of limb. The part that didn't get much heat cracked. But it was a stiff handle so wouldn't have affected anything, in fact it was almost gone by the end. The bow broke mid limb because I was stupid, but not because of the heating or bending :P