Character Osage Build - Now a Takedown - Finished!

[gstoneberg]

Couple more pictures from tonight. Worked on removing wood on the new limb



and then got sidetracked fitting the brass sleeve insert on the limb from the crooked bow.



I thought I could mate the limb up to that brass in about 15 minutes....boy was I wrong.  It is ready to glue in now but I won't do that until the other limb is ready to go too.  There is some water damage on that one and I asked a question about that over in the bow forum.   http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,21094.0.html

George

[Thwackaddict]

Lookin good george.Cant wait to see how this one turns out.I love take downs,once i get a few more under my belt i will attempt one.

[HatchA]

Hey George, really glad you're saving what you can from the blow-up...  looking forward to how this turns out

[gstoneberg]

Finally finished up the other bow so I could get back on this one.  Since I had stolen the limb I prepared for this bow to save the other one, I picked out a new billet:


then took it down to a growth ring (had to go through the first 6 heartwood rings to find a good one)


laid out the bow and fitted it to the takedown sleeve:


Ended the day trial fitting everything together.  Looks like I need to bend at least one limb to get the string in the handle:


George

[Thwackaddict]

Comin along good george!!Cant wait to see this one take shape!!

[gstoneberg]

I worked on it more last night Randy.  I can't figure the sleeve out.  I had to heat it with a torch to get it apart and then all that happened was the wood came out of both sleeves (hadn't glued them in yet).  Still  had to drive the two metal pieces apart with a hammer.  But, once they're apart they appear to go together easily.  Dangdest thing I've ever seen.  The bow wood must be expanding the brass or maybe there's a ding in the sleeve partway down.  I'll probably have to sand the outside of the brass a little.  This can't be as hard as I'm making it, but I'll get it.

George

[Thwackaddict]

  sounds like me george!!What you need is some spray lube and a bigger hammer!!Hahaha could be the wood is a bit tight.maybe try jus fine sandin wood til sleeve slides on nice an smooth?I dunno,never messed with em but they are on my list of to do's.

[gstoneberg]

Randy, it's the 2 pieces of metal I can't get to slide apart.  They go together pretty easy until the smaller sleeve is about half way in.  It pushes further, though hard so I stopped.  Trying to get it out I couldn't move the dang thing.  I tried heating up the steel, but the brass heats up almost as fast and finally the wood came out of the sleeves on both sides.  I hate to glue the wood in there if I need to heat it to get the metal apart.  I'm going to sand the outside of the brass then lube it and see if I can get it to go together and apart.  I don't want it loose, but I need to be able to take it apart or it defeats the purpose.

I hope to get some more time on it later this week if I don't go hunting.  Right now I'm leaning towards the hunting.  There's a big 11pt hanging by our field feeder in the early morning.  He beds by camp so any time there are people there he doesn't come out.  I'm thinking about leaving home about 1am on Friday and parking out by the road at the lease.  Then I'll take just the electric golf cart over to the field where I intend to set up a makeshift ground blind at the edge of the woods.  The shot will be about 25 yards and I'll have to hold still a long time.  I think it's my only chance though.  The 11's been bringing a smaller 9pt and wide 6pt with him I'd also be happy to shoot.  They don't come in every day so it's a crap shoot. 

George

[gstoneberg]

I finally mastered the sleeve and got it working as a takedown.  I sure made that harder than it should have been.  I put some masking tape around the end of where the sleeves were going to go so the epoxy wouldn't stain the wood and then glued the sleeves in (removed the tape right away so it wouldn't glue permanently in place):



Then I heat bent the limbs so they are straight and aligned with the handle:



Then I got a wild hair to try making a bow with green osage and knew I had a pretty crooked limb I could split and get started on.  Here's how I will glue it up:



Should be fun.  Hope to get the takedown to the point of getting a string on it tomorrow.

George

[Thwackaddict]

ahhhhh george thats gonna be so cool!!!hurry please hahahaha

[gstoneberg]

Hurry... ; you know better.  This post has been going on for months.  I do wish I'd cut my splice joint a little wider on the curvy set of billets so I could cut the handle crooked to align with the tips.  It's probably better to follow the grain anyway.  I was disappointed with the pithy center of that branch.  Also disappointed that such a straight piece could bend so quickly.  2 of the  3 sections I cut bent badly.  And the third has a big limb hanging on one side so I'm only going to get a couple good staves from it.  Once again I was reminded how much green osage likes to check.  In the time it took to remove the bark from the end of each curvy piece, lay out the splice joint, cut it out on the band saw and glue the billets together I got about a 4" long split on one billet.  Fortunately it's to the side where it'll be removed.  Anyway, I'm going huntin for 3 days so they'll be no bow work.  I really wish I had arrows that flew out of that takedown.  If I did, it'd be going with and I'd be hunting it using the temporary electrical tape and styrofoam rest and no finish.  But, my arrows all fly sideways out of it.  I do have a set of 45# Fred Bear cedar arrows wth the old carbon steel glue-on razorheads that have never been shot.  They're still in the box but I've been hoarding them for when they're valuable.  Haha.  Still hate to dirty them up.  Also have a set of 6 fiberglass arrows, not sure I have the box anymore though.  Anyway, need to make up some arrow for this bow.  Can't drive to Academy and pick up a set of 45# spined cedars.  Too bad.

George

[gstoneberg]

After a very long time, this bow is now finished.  What I thought would be a pretty wild character bow ended up a pretty ordinary, straight, slightly recurved takedown osage longbow.  It measures 60" NTN, 51lbs@28".  I used the sleeve takedown method, purchased from 3riversarchery.  Recurving the tips really improved the way the bow feels when I shoot it and it now shoots heavier spined shafts better for some reason.  Hope to take it hunting next week.  Here are the final pictures, forgive me for not getting my bow arm horizontal.

George

[bobnewboy]

Fantastic job, what a save !!   

Great work!

[Postman]

Great job! Glad to see ya shootin' er!