wood might be a problem

[joesharp79]

i was working on my bow rasping on it and hit a soft spot don't know if it is a big deal or not if so what can i do to fix it and wondering if u could tell me if u think i will hit my desired weight if i just sand it all out think i can do that it is a 72" red oak bow were the damage i it is 11/16" inch thick and 1 1/2" wide id like to hit around 55# at 28" any suggestions are greatly appreciated

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[Badbill]

I'm working on a Red Oak bow right now too. It has the same soft spots, I've just been lucky to not go to deep on them. Red oak may be cheap, but this is what you have to live with.  Is that area hinging at all?  If you are early enough in the tiller you may be OK.  Go slow with the rest of the tillering, and avoid doing any rough tillering. If that area starts to become a stiff spot before you make weight your in the clear.  I'm sure a few of the experts will be on shortly tell help you out.

[sailordad]

ive had that on a boo/hick lamb bow thati did, i think its because the grain was somewhat sideways and the rasp digs easier into the early growth compared to
the later growth rings,not sure but thats what it looked like on mine when i analyzed it.

[sonny]

looks like a spot where the medullary rays show up on the belly.
probably not a big deal, simply a little bit of grain swirl and likely won't be a problem. you'll need to switch to another tool...such as a spokeshave or drawknife to avoid tearout near those spots.

check out the following for a description of medullary rays:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medullary_ray_(botany)

[joesharp79]

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