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11
Bows / Re: Osage orange design?
« Last post by WhistlingBadger on Today at 02:18:46 pm »
If the log is 69” long build a 67” flat bow . You can’t go wrong if you have built selfbows before. I suggest 1-1/2 to 1-3/4” at fades. But most any design works on Osage

My frame of reference is hickory self bows and sinew-backed juniper.  I'm guessing this is going to be a lot different from either of those.   ;D  The staves are around 84" long; some of them have a bend at the end I'll have to remove or work around but otherwise it looks straight, no knots, no twist! 

The ends are sealed with glue, so I will have to do a little sawing to see what the rings look like.  I'll try to post a few pics later.  I'll probably try to split off some of the sapwood on the most likely looking stave this weekend.
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Bows / Re: Broken Bow
« Last post by RyanY on Today at 02:11:23 pm »
Hard to tell why it broke from the pic. It could definitely be glued together but whether it will hold up may depend on why it broke in the first place. I wonder if there was a shake that opened up. I’d definitely try to glue it and see what happens.  (-P
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Bows / Re: Osage orange design?
« Last post by Selfbowman on Today at 02:09:49 pm »
If the log is 69” long build a 67” flat bow . You can’t go wrong if you have built selfbows before. I suggest 1-1/2 to 1-3/4” at fades. But most any design works on Osage
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Bows / Re: Broken Bow
« Last post by Selfbowman on Today at 01:35:12 pm »
Send it to me and I’ll fix it if fixable
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Bows / Re: Osage orange design?
« Last post by bjrogg on Today at 12:58:11 pm »
My first encounter with Osage was a wet log. At first it seemed like an incredible amount of work for what seemed like a crooked rubbery piece of wood. My stave was reduced to close to bow dimensions and the back and ends sealed right away. I didn’t pick it up again for several months.

I couldn’t believe the difference. It was stiff and springy. Even though it was incredibly crooked I could easily manipulate it with dry heat on the belly. What seemed like a sliver of wood I didn’t know if I could get a kids bow out of made my Simply Orange bow I still hunt with today.

You can make any design you want WB. And it is definitely worth the effort. Like Pat said. Remove the bark and sapwood before you narrow up your stave to much. You need to have a ring chased before you really know what you have to work with.

I honestly don’t measure anything except the center of the bow. I lay my Osage out with my draw knife and let it follow the grain. I don’t know if you want to try that, but I love how Osage works with a draw knife. All staves aren’t the same though and some tear out.

I also like reducing by taking belly splits. It really helps with the rapid reduction and I often get a belly stave that is often big enough to make a bow.

Getting the bark off an aged stave can be a big job.and hopefully no bug damage. If you have bugs you need to chase ring below the damage.

I looking forward to seeing what you create.

There’s a reason I still use Osage even though I’m allergic to it.

Bjrogg
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Shooting and Hunting / Re: First deer with my Osage bow
« Last post by Woody roberts on Today at 12:27:36 pm »
Thanks everyone. It’s still season here in Missouri but I have all the venison I need for the year. Looking forward to next year.
Woody
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Flintknapping / Re: A little fun with mushrooms
« Last post by bjrogg on Today at 11:32:50 am »
I have no idea how I missed this thread when it was first posted! I absolutely LOVE these little knives, BJ! Looks like you are having fun, Gus.


I first posted it in 2024 JW. Was my first crop of them. Just experimenting with them.

2025 I didn’t grow any, but 2026 looks like a good crop so far.

Bjrogg
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Bows / Re: Osage orange design?
« Last post by Pat B on Today at 11:22:55 am »
Like said above, you can make any style bow from Osage. Please post a few pics of the log, stave and end grain. Also, after you remove the bark and sapwood be sure to seal the back and ends. Even if it is a 20 year old log it still has some moisture in it and it can check if you don't seal it. I like to use spray shellac but any shellac will do. I like shellac because it is easily removed later with alcohol.
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Flintknapping / Re: A little fun with mushrooms
« Last post by JW_Halverson on Today at 11:13:15 am »
I have no idea how I missed this thread when it was first posted! I absolutely LOVE these little knives, BJ! Looks like you are having fun, Gus.
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Bows / Re: Osage orange design?
« Last post by JW_Halverson on Today at 11:07:48 am »
If it has nice rings (i.e. thicker late wood than the lighter colored early wood) then you can get away with as narrow as inch and a quarter at the fades. I prefer at least inch and three-eighths, but I've had the narrower limbed bows take a little more set but shoot just fine.

If you find checks that got into the heartwood, don't lose hope! Just get to the very first layer of yellow, give it a light sanding with 150 grit, and try laying out a bow that avoids a check that runs out the edge. If you don't get it, don't fret it. Carefully try the next growth ring, and repeat trying to find a layout that avoids checks that run out the edge.

More than once I have been able to lay out a bow with one limb on the far right edge of a stave and the other limb on the far left edge of a stave. So what? Lay out those lovely limbs and draw in a handle that connects the two. You'll wanna make sure the grip and fades are a little more robust, but you can still pull off a bow even if the center lines of the two limbs don't connect in the grip area. Osage is pretty forgiving stuff.
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