Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: timmyd on April 05, 2021, 06:28:33 pm
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So I was going through my bow stash and came across this stave. Very very thin rings....hickory has thicker things than this and I just peel the bark off and go. Can I do the same with this or how would you recommend I tackle this if it's even worth it?
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I have made bows from paper thin ringed stuff. Very hard to follow a ring, and the are susceptible to popping on the finished bow.
I would plane it flat and back it with hickory.
or if the split is large enough, you could belly split it and use the wood with thicker rings for unbacked bows.
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It defiantly looks ok, but if you don't feel up to it I'll take a crack at it.
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going down to belly split would be the most traditional,, I would trust it with a rawhide back, but my preference would be to make sinew bow,,
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The only Osage bow I made with thin rings like that exploded into 5 pieces even with a chased ring and perfect tiller. I’d go with the belly split.
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yeah, just belly split or go down to a ring that's reasonable to chase...
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I've made quite a few with super thin rings and they all came out great. Never heard anything back from the customers either so I guess they are still together. :)
The 'tirck' is to use a super, super sharp cabinet scraper. Sharp enough to wipe shavings off the wood. Not many people I know can get a scraper like that :) Then chase the ring above the one you want. Once that ring is chased and intact remove it with the gentlest method you can think of. I have used sandpaper.
Use this principle on thicker ringed osage too but cahse the earlywood ring above the ring you want.
Remember that the goal is a perfect untouched ring end to end. Not just a ring that isn't visibly violated.
Even after all that if you didn't trust it a piece of rawhide or thinish layer of sinew will make it totally safe.
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I would remove the sapwood carefully, seems you have a quality ring just below it unless my eyes are playing tricks on the photo which I just enlarged....
Don
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Linen backing would be good on a stave like that.
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Unfortunately there isn't a big enough belly split I can get off of it. I have a bunch of sinew but I was saving it for another more pristine stave. May just put this one back for a while.
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oh there is plenty of belly split on that stave.. you just will have to glue on a handle..no big deal.. that is what I would do...those thin rings have more early wood than late wood ... a thin ringed can make a fine bow... its the ratio of early and late wood that will kill it... gut
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ok just take the bark off and use the sap wood for sinew bow, then use the belly split however you like, you get two bows,, dont put it back,, go for it,, u can always get more sinew,,mabe thin the sap wood to about half,,
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If it were my stave I would go down to the firs big ring which is just above the middle. Jawge
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I would chase down to about the 15th ring up from the bottom, counting from the RH side. How wide would that be? I would think you would have at least 1.5" there. Maybe aim for one of the two right above it, but that one looks pretty good to me.
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I like thin ring Osage and it makes a great bow if the ratio is good, but the problem with that one is the ratio as gutpile said, I would take it down to about mid way to a good ring and also much better ratio. Looks like from here you have plenty of wood to do that.Don't take much Osage to make a bow. ;) :)
Pappy
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If it was mine and had enough width for the full length of the stave, I would take it down to one of these thicker rings with better early/late wood ratio, and add a glue on handle if necessary.
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Well you all convinced me. I'll go for that belly split and see what happens. Nothing ventured nothing gained. I'll post what happens
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Good luck! I'm not sure that top part is worth the risk of splitting (those bottom rings look pretty nice, and the top ones have a poor early/late ratio as mentioned). You will be able to drawknife down to a good ring pretty rapidly if you go that route. Not to be bossy... :-X