To Wonk, or not to Wonk (update)

[upstatenybowyer]

This one's gonna be a little bit tough to explain, but here it goes...

I'll preface this by noting that I'm really just curious what others would do in this situation.

So I'm working on a piece of osage that's pretty wonky near the handle (hard to tell how much from the photo), mostly in the fade area on the left (the stave is clamped in the middle).

I can't decide whether to go with a static handle, which would result in me having to tiller the bow with the wonkiness, or to make it a bendy handle, in which case I could heat the wonkiness out of the wood before tillering.

I'm pretty sure heating the wonkiness out with the static handle isn't an option cause it would be just too thick in that area.

Hope this makes sense. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go with a bendy handle, but I'm curious what you would do if it were you. 

[Pat B]

Take it down to floor tiller stage. By then the stave may tell you what it wants to be. I learned long ago, when a stave talks, listen.

[upstatenybowyer]

That's good advice Pat. Thanks!

[bjrogg]

I completely understand what you are asking Jeff. I have a stave I took to heavy floor tiller this past spring wondering the very same question. I have very little experience with osage. This was the first stave I ever worked on. I was very surprised how easy it was to bend with heat.
      I just got home from a long day of work. I've got a bit of a cold and didn't really feel like shooting my 64lb. HHB bow. I looked at my only Osage bow. It's a Badly Bent birch Bark backed bendy handle. Never put it on tree but I'd say it's about 47 lbs at my draw. Just right for how I was feeling tonight. I braced it, exercised it a let a dozen arrows loose. That felt so good I let two dozen more fly. Sorry for all the rambling, but I don't think you can go wrong either way. Like Pat said, sometimes you just have to listen to what your stave is telling you. I think mine is saying it wants to be a bendy handle.
Bjrogg

[BowEd]

Sometimes Jeff those kind of stiff handles if not too crazy put in the right place shoot pretty sweet.

[bradsmith2010]

I agree you could go either way,,
you could start with a stiff handle and go to bendy if you like,,

[upstatenybowyer]

Been some long days working with those 4th and 5th graders for me too BJ. Sorry to hear about the cold. Sounds like shootin that osage bow lifted the spirits though. Love to see some pics when you get her finished up. I remember an HHB bow you made a while back with some wonk in the handle and it sticks with me cause the tiller was so spot on. That bow is one of the reasons I'm motivated to go with a static handle, as you proved it can be done right. 

You're right Ed, takes some skill though and plenty of patience.

Good to hear you say that Brad. I guess we'll let the wood decide... 

[Del the cat]

What Pat said... plus you can always try to bend it, if it doesn't move then you've lost nothing and gained some experience..
Del

[Stick Bender]

I like the idea of the idea of ridgid handle leaving you bendy option but would bet if you got the handle thinned down a bit you could move the wonk a bit with steam & the rest with dry heat looks like a fun stave 

[upstatenybowyer]

Thanks for your thoughts Del and Stick.

After sleeping on it, I can almost see a D/R side profile in there somewhere. Hmmmmm

[George Tsoukalas]

On that left fade if that is a knot then make a rigid handled bow so the knot does not bend. Jawge

[upstatenybowyer]

Thanks Jawge.  That area is right next to where a branch was growing out of the tree. When I split the log into quarters, the split ran right through where the branch was and I was able to remove all the knotted area in that section. The wonkiness is the result of the surrounding wood undulating away from the branch.

I've got the stave roughed out. the handle is a little over 1" thick, fading to 11/16" where the working limbs begin.

Now, it looks like almost all of the wonkiness is in the handle and everything from the fades out can be safely manipulated with heat. What do you guys think?

[George Tsoukalas]

That is a lot of manipulation, upstate. I'd go with the rigid handle. Have fun.
Jawge

[simson]

if it were mine, I would steam the right limb into the same reflex as the left and go with a rigid handle.

[upstatenybowyer]

So I did as per Simson's suggestion plus I added recurves. I made a caul for this that adds the hooks and the reflex at the same time. Steamed the entire limb, one at a time. Now it's all about tillering and string alignment