starting a bow

[broketooth]

this is a stave that i started last summer. it is 671/2" long,1/38" wide for 2/3 of its length and tapers to 5/8 wide at the tips.  the limb that is straight has a few small knots and pins. the limb with the snakey grain has a big knot right in the center of the limb about 3" down from the fade area and a knot in the snakey part. accoring to mr pats advice, osage likes to be round so when you look at the end profile of each limb it has a convex profile. this stave has been sitting in my attic since last fall, about sept. , if i recall correctly. well ive been board so i retreived it from the attic 2 days ago and scraped on the limbs until the convex shape. both limbs are starting to bend nicely ( floor tiller) here is what i got so far/broketooth/ruddys1stbowbuild001.jpg[/IMG]back of bowside profilebelly side snakey limb belly side straight limb snakey limb closeup. tell me what ya think so far

[broketooth]

here is the stave full lenght

[Josh]

looks good, can't wait to see it racked!  -josh

[Pat B]

Well, what are you waiting on Ruddy. Get busy!    Looks like a pretty good stave. The knot shouldn't be a problem. How are the growth rings?

[broketooth]

mr pat, this is the belly split i told you about. it came from a bigger peice. the person who got it for me ,told me i could possibly get 2 bows out of it

[broketooth]

here is a pic of each limb@ floor tillersnakey limb, the other limb

[broketooth]

today a made a small tiller stick and a long string with some boots. i have the stave flexed about 3 1/2"<a href="http://s602.photobucket.com/albums/tt101/broketooth/?action=view&current=ruddys1stbowbuild011.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt101/broketooth/ruddys1stbowbuild011.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> what do you see that i need to do

[broketooth]

 the limb on the left is the snakey limb. i think it needs to bend near the fade more. the straight limb on the right needs to bend more at mid limb. opinions?

[Pat B]

Ruddy, Stay away from mid limb on both for a while. Concentrate a bit near the fades and more out towards the outer limbs. Leave the last 6" of each tip stiff.   Seems to becoming along pretty good. Take it slow and exercise the limbs after each wood removal.    A tiller stick can put too much strain on an uneducated limb. Don't leave it on the stick long.  Also, make your long string just long enough to reach each tip. I can't see your last pic.

[broketooth]