Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: upstatenybowyer on January 19, 2018, 07:00:24 pm
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I recently got an itch to make an Osage bow and realized there was only one problem... I had no Osage. :NN Then I remembered, I do have a totally twisted, gnarly, rollercoaster piece of scrap that's been sitting around in the garage forever destined for the fireplace. :-\
After much deliberation, I decided, why the heck not? )P(
First thing I did was start chasing a ring. I'm about half done with that. Next I'm gonna reduce the thickness to point where heat can start working its magic. Getting this thing straight, balanced, and aligned enough to start tillering is gonna be quite a chore.
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I really like staves like that. You have to be in the right mood though. Remember string alignment is tip,handle,tip and the rest of the bow can go where it wants. Squint a lot while tillering to try and average out the shape. :D :D
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You can do it Jeff. That looks about like the stave I just made my first Osage from. It might take three or more heat sessions though.
Bjrogg
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That piece looks thick enough where you might get a second stave from a belly split.
That stave will teach you a lot or kill you trying.
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I think Pat is right. And when you get done with the first one you'll know just how to do the second one. ::) ;)
Bjrogg
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I like um too Don and I think I'm in the mood. I think Brad said once that with staves like these our expectations are low so we're pleasantly surprised if things start working out. :)
Thanks for the encouragement BJ, I'm gonna need it!
It gets thinner on the other end Pat, or I'd definitely try a belly split, never done one of those before. I sure hope I learn and survive the lesson )-w(
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Upstate, you are a fool to even try this. And for that reason alone I am gonna cheer you on! Have at it, you wild eyed fool! Let the chips fall where they may!
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That stick will make a bow like any other stick using the EXACT same techniques any other stick will require. The only difference is that it may require ALL the techniques and more usage of them. Its ALL SIMPLE! There just happens to be A LOT of simple things involved.
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Just remove everything that isn't a bow...why make it difficult?😁
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X2 Timmyd! Remember the KISS principle, one simple thing at a time :BB >:D!
Hawkdancer
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(-P
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If any body can do it it's you Jeff (-P
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This one is going to be a nail biter - I'll be following but know it's going to take some time. Judging from all of your work I've seen, I'm bettin' the farm you're going to pull it off in spades!!!
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You will learn more from this one that you would a straight stave. Good luck
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Oh, that stave isn't so bad...I have way worse ones in my garage.
(Of course, I haven't done anything with them yet!)
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Good luck with your build upstate. Always a challenge in a bow build no matter what the stave looks like. Will stay tuned in. Arvin
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You got this upstate ,take your time and show us a shooter.
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Are you done yet? ;D ;D
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lookin good,, bet it shoots great (SH)
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Are you done yet? ;D ;D
;D ;D
I literally just laughed out loud Don.
Thanks for the encouragement everyone. I've got a ring chased and now to reduce the thickness. After that will be taking out the 90 degree twist at one end. (=)
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I'm not sure this is not a ploy to receive some staves in the mail. :BB Arvin
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Honestly thats my kinda stave! I love it and get excited just thinking about working a piece like that.
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Now we’re talkin! This’ll be interesting.
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Well Arvin, now that you mention it... O:) lol ;D
I'll try not to disappoint guys (--)
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so far so good,, (W
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Gonna be a good-un....... I like it !!!!
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Oh I like it! You can do it! (-P (-P (-P
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Watching with great interest.
No Osage for me here, so I just dream of such things.... just not sure if they’re good or bad dreams!
Good luck. 👍🏻
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Challenge stave for sure, but if you go slow and easy I feel sure you will get a shooter out of it. :)
Pappy
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I have cut staves that have really bad twist in the middle, offset the twist and spliced them back together.
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Good challenge for yourself Jeff.It'll keep you busy I'm sure.I sure hope and think it'll work out for ya too. (-P
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Very cool idea Eric. I've got no experience with splicing, mostly because I haven't spent enough time figuring out how to do it by hand, or with a bandsaw. In TBB 1 they describe a jig you can make for splicing on the bandsaw, but it's a little vague. If anyone knows a good thread for how to make one please let me know. :)
Thickness is reduced without taking off too much. Did it with by making lots of weird cuts with the bandsaw.
Here's a few different angles...
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Can I borrow your magic wand???
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Your'e just about ready for low brace! Good work so far.
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I tried making a jig and had no luck with it. I think if you were working with nice square billets a jig would be good but I couldn't come up with a way of securely clamping odd shaped high crowned etc. billets into the jig. No matter what one of them would move a touch and I would be worse off than if I did it without the jig. Now I stack them like Strunk says and cut both at once. I glue a flat piece(about 4 or 5" square to the surface that's going on the table of the saw to keep it nice and steady and glue the other stave piggy back. It's a good use for 5 min epoxy. I glue another flat piece on top and do my layout on that. As long as all the centerlines line up you're good. When you cut the straighter your cut is the better your spice will fit. When they are stacked like that any bit that you deviate from straight is doubled when you flip them around to fit. Lay it out with nice straight lines and then split the line when you cut. Easy. :D
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DC, you make it sound so easy! I guess I just have to give it a go a learn from making mistakes like I always have. Thanks for the solid info. ;)
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That stave is looking good. I am amazed at the progress you’ve made. Very cool.
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This is going to get good here pretty soon. (-P
Bjrogg
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Im tuned in!
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I like that idea Eric, have a few staves I will have to try it on!
Upstate it's looking real good! is that wonkydoo pretty close to center? Might leave it and do a r/d-ish profile if it is.
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I like that idea Eric, have a few staves I will have to try it on!
Upstate it's looking real good! is that wonkydoo pretty close to center? Might leave it and do a r/d-ish profile if it is.
Yeah k-hat, it is. We'll let the wood decide what to do there.
Been doing some straightening... The twist removal is by far the hardest part.
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That won't be the last picture of that one on a caul. Your winning Jeff. (-P
Bjrogg
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DC, you make it sound so easy! I guess I just have to give it a go a learn from making mistakes like I always have. Thanks for the solid info. ;)
Go find a scrap piece of 1 x 1 1/2" about 8' long and cut it into 8" lengths. Start splicing those pieces together. By the end of the day you'll have it down.
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You should put that in the tips and tricks DC
Bjrogg
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Great advice DC. And yes, that definitely belongs in the tips and tricks!
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If that stave was a movie it would be called "Nightmare on Osage street".
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Just about ready to tiller...
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Yup it looks like your winning Jeff. It truly is amazing how this stuff bends with heat. (-P
Bjrogg
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Wow, looks like you made a lot of progress. I have a stave similar to this in my garage. You are giving me hope for that stave. Thanks for the inspiration.
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That came out really straight compared to the first pics! That will be make a pretty shooter!
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Jeff...Your a gainin a whole lot!!!!Good your showing this. (-P
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Looking good!
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Wow, just wow. Thanks for sharing this! It is very interesting to me to see what can be done when needed. Good job :)
Mike
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(A). You sir have patience and skill in spades.
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Great stave, did you cook brats with the crooked one? ;D ;D Good job on that.
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That's pretty amazing! It'll be fun to see the final product.
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Thanks a bunch guys. I wish I could take all the credit, but it's the osage that deserves most of it. The stuff is just amazing. There's no other wood that would put up with this kind of abuse. Not to mention I found this stave on the ground and who knows how long it was lying there.
I still have just a little bit of twist removal to do, then I'll start bending her. I'll probably end up backing her with some cherry bark, as I may have just nicked the outer ring once or twice while chasing. O:)
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Any updates? No pressure, just curious.
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It's funny you should ask JW. I had her bending pretty good the other day and then the dreaded tick. I investigated and discovered that a weathering check was separating from a large void in the stave where I had removed some punky wood. I gave it another pull to see if the ticking would continue and (--).
In hindsight, I probably should have left more wood around that void. It was also in an area that had endured some pretty serious twisting and realignment. I'll try to find the 2 pieces and post a pic when I get a chance.
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Aw drat.
Learned more than a few things, I bet, didn't you?
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Phooey, Shucks, Gosh darn, Gee whiz! And those are the nice comments >:D! Nice try!
Hawkdancer
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Aw drat.
Learned more than a few things, I bet, didn't you?
Indeed I did. Always do. No such thing as a failure, just another step towards something better.
It's funny how with making bows I always get the test first, then the lesson. ;)
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Splicing is easy; draw your pattern on piece of paper, cut it out and glue it on your stave with white Elmer's lining up the pattern with a drawn center line on the billet, flatten the belly of your billet so it will run true through the bandsaw. I always have to add a handle piece after I flatten the belly for cutting the splice but that is no problem.
(https://i.imgur.com/dbZ9tEy.jpg)
I place my flattened billet on the bandsaw table and sight down it to see if I have the flattened belly cut so the billet will not be twisted on the glue-up. If I am trying to glue up to remove twist I look for the best position to accomplish this.
Cut just outside your lines and fit things together. Unless the stars are aligned you probably won't have a perfect fit. Hold your splice up to a light and look at where the impingement points are that are keeping it from sliding together and sand or file a little until everything fits, then glue up with three clamps. I put one clamp on the middle of the splice and adjust the billet center lines so they line up then finish clamping.
I am replacing a bad limb in this picture.
(https://i.imgur.com/SsyWaqS.jpg)
Here is the finished repair with the added handle piece. The initial bow was made from spliced billets, the darker wood is from the earlier splice.
(https://i.imgur.com/bBeq6Lu.jpg)
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Eric, I think you may have meant to put this on a different thread. ;D I will say I remember you posting this a while back elsewhere, and I've used it and it works very well! Mine was even a very tricky splice on a thin osage billets (barely over an inch wide). Worked like a charm. :OK
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It was a great effort... you almost made it... :OK
Eric, thanks for the post. The splice was one thing I missed in the original thread and it seemed to really make a difference in the progression of the stave.
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Nice try bud that was a pretty gnarly stave. Hope to see some pics of the damaged area.