osage stave with a twist on the end

[luke the drifter]

i am currently working on a osage stave that is still green.  i am chasing it down to a uniform ring running the length of the stave.  it has a twist along with reflex.  i had heard it said that osage is a forgiving wood.  would it be possible/feasible to draw knife the twist flat with the back of the stave and still have a shootable bow?  i am not very experienced at bending/twisting wood using dry/steam heat.  unless there is a really simple way of doing it, i am listening.  one last question,  can a bow still be "shootable" with a twist in one of its limbs?

[Eric Krewson]

Twist or propeller is the easiest thing in osage to correct. A pipe wrench, heat gun, 5 gallon bucket and anything to add weight to the bucket and you can correct the twist. Wait until your wood is dry to use your heat gun to correct a stave. You can't correct propeller with a drawknife.

[Pat B]

Pics would be a big help.
  You will violate a ring(s) if you try to level out the back with a draw knife.  The first thing you need to do is seal newly the chased ring before the wood checks(drying cracks). Shellac is a good sealer and is compatible with steam heat or boiling. Either of these two methods would be appropriate for straightening green osage and osage in general bends well with heat.
  That said, if the twist isn't bad you might be able to just live with it or reduce it's effects by cutting an inch or two off the twisted end if you have enough length to spare.

[sailordad]

prop twist is no big deal
i have made several hick bows with prop twist,they all shot where you were aiming
i have one in the making now(prop twist hick) that has worked out about half of the twist just while tillering
i have found that if you leave the limb just a smidge the thicker on the weak side(the side it twists to)
this helps to straighten prop twist some,but you dont want it to much thicker as it will cause it to twist the other way

[woodstick]

i made one for suzanne StCharles that had oppisite twist on both ends it could run a plane, shoots real good she shoots it alot. and she has had it bout 1 1/2 years now.

[sailordad]

i made one for suzanne StCharles that had oppisite twist on both ends it could run a plane, shoots real good she shoots it alot. and she has had it bout 1 1/2 years now.

yup the hick one iam working on,i ws gonna name"lucky lindy" it had so much twist
looked like it came off of the spirit of st louis (charles lindberg's plane)
but like isaid,most of the twist came out during tillering

[Tom Leemans]

I don't believe I used the same weight system Eric did, but that's how ya do it.