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Author Topic: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.  (Read 16476 times)

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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.
« Reply #30 on: January 12, 2013, 11:04:54 am »
I grab a 4-6" long straight edge of anything when I need tiller help. A piece of board, a pencil or even a sanding blocks edge will work. Just something you can use to see that center gap change and indicate stiff or weak. That bow will deserve the most expensive skins you can buy!
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Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

blackhawk

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Re: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.
« Reply #31 on: January 12, 2013, 01:59:18 pm »
how wide is it at the handle dean?  you can narrow it some with a bendy handle bow...just make it a nice smooth n subtle transition,and make sure everything is all rounded and sanded smooth before serious bending.
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Offline Dean Marlow

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Re: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.
« Reply #32 on: January 12, 2013, 07:16:31 pm »
The bow was 1-3/8" wide at the handle so I went ahead and took it down to about 1-1/8" wide and just around 1" tall. Didn't get a allot done today. I went and watched my 7 year old grandson play basketball. Amazing how 6 and 7 year olds put there heart into playing. I just watched the Fighting Illini get hammered by Wisconsin. They need a little more heart in what they are doing looked like to me. I took my tape measure and measured every inch on both limbs and marked it with a pencil and tonight while I am watching T.V.  I will take the calipers again and measure the thickness and width on both limbs to try and get them fairly evened up before I start pulling on it. It is still quite hard to push by floor tillering so I still have a little more to take of where it needs it.
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Offline Dean Marlow

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Re: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.
« Reply #33 on: January 14, 2013, 02:02:43 pm »
I am going to do a little more work today on the bow and  what I have done is run a chalk line down the bow and I am quite happy how the tips  line up without using any heat. If  I can I will try and use the least amount of heat that I can because of all the twist and curves to deal with. The handle area the string is not completely straight down the handle because of the curve. when I hold the bow with curve bending to the right I think it will work fine with the tracking of the string. When I flip it with the curve running to the left it doesn't feel well in my hand because of the severe curve in the handle. As far as heating in some reflex in the limbs I am going to leave it alone for now. It isn't to bad the way it is. The big curve in the lower limb is deflexed with quite a bit of twist and I really reluctant to try and heat it up and remove the twist and deflex. The grain is so twisted there I believe I would be asking for trouble. It may come to some heat but no need to do anything with it until the time comes. I took my card scraper and sander and rounded the edges just a little. You should take the sharp edges off which will help in not raising a splinter.  I am going to cut some string grooves in the tips and get it ready for the string. My shop is not heated  and it is supposed to get up to 25 degrees here today so I will work just a little on it and go back in the house to warm up.
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Offline Dean Marlow

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Re: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.
« Reply #34 on: January 15, 2013, 12:37:13 pm »
I am sad to say looks like the buildalong has come to an end. I went ahead and cut my string grooves in the bow and put a long string on it and just pulled it a little ways and she gave out right at the  start. Had very little stress at all on the limb and she snapped. No warning just plain broke. I was surprised it was this limb. I always thought it would be the other limb with the big curve in it where all those vertical checks were. I had the edges all sanded down but looks like it quit on one of the curves and humps in the bow. This was a strange piece of Osage as far as floor tillering goes. Couldn't get it to bend for some reason. The limbs I had thinned down way more than usual. First piece of Osage that I have broken in a long time. Got a crooked mushroom stick though. Dean
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Offline danny f

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Re: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.
« Reply #35 on: January 15, 2013, 01:22:00 pm »
thats a real shame it would of been a great  looking bow.
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.
« Reply #36 on: January 15, 2013, 01:27:58 pm »
You missed a drastic turn in the grain Dean-o. Maybe next time.
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Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline Dean Marlow

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Re: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.
« Reply #37 on: January 15, 2013, 01:58:26 pm »
Pearl I followed the grain on the back when I layed it out as close as my eyes would let me. I really don't care if I work on another one like this. I will stick with fairly straight grained wood if I can get it. Dean
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Offline Dazv

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Re: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.
« Reply #38 on: January 15, 2013, 02:39:19 pm »
one of the bows i like shooting the most is a 38inch osage D selfbow.
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.
« Reply #39 on: January 15, 2013, 03:35:35 pm »
Quote from: Dean Marlow on January 15, 2013, 01:58:26 pm
Pearl I followed the grain on the back when I layed it out as close as my eyes would let me. I really don't care if I work on another one like this. I will stick with fairly straight grained wood if I can get it. Dean

I agree with you there. The ugly ones are fun for a change, but the "straight" osage staves are better. Snip that bugger off and go at it again!
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Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline Dean Marlow

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Re: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.
« Reply #40 on: January 15, 2013, 04:28:49 pm »
My grandson has his eyes on it already.
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blackhawk

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Re: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.
« Reply #41 on: January 16, 2013, 08:55:43 am »
Darn...yeah..snip it off and go at it again....that's the gamble we take with character wood...I've had sharp snakey kinks let go as well...my theory is the bend in a bow wants to follow a straight line...like the marks with your chalk line...and when the wood sharply turns and deviates from this course it wants to be on,it ends up fighting it and sometimes they break.
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Offline RyanY

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Re: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.
« Reply #42 on: January 16, 2013, 05:07:35 pm »
Sad to see it didn't work out. Unfortunately it seems like the swirly grain that makes pieces like that so beautiful also presents a great weakness. Still a great learning experience for working with snakey staves.
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Offline soy

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Re: Character Osage Bow Buildalong.
« Reply #43 on: January 18, 2013, 02:24:47 am »
 :'(  :-\  :'( that's a real bummer man
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Is this bow making a sickness? or the cure...
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