Author Topic: My first Osage Orange selfbow!  (Read 11780 times)

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Offline nativenoobowyer86

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My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« on: June 14, 2011, 11:48:19 am »
Hello everyone,
This is my first Osage Orange selfbow!  Because i live in Canada, i had to go to great lengths to get my stave($$).  As to be expected, it was a fun-filled, rewarding experience.  The wood really seems out of place up here, and makes that beautiful yellow color stand out even more.  I loved working it, i loved finishing it, an i love shooting it! :D  I hope to take my first whitetail with it this fall.  One thing i had trouble with is a name :P  but i will let it name itself in due time.  I left it a little longer than i needed, and a little wider than needed for the simple fact that im still fairly noobly as my name suggests :D Sanded it with every grit known to man and burnished it with a spoon.  Gotta thank Mike Yancey for the stave, told him the type of bow i wanted to make, length, and my experience level. and he sent me a great stave :)

flatbow, 64 inches ntn, pin nocks, 1 7/8 wide at the widest point, very slight taper to midlimb, tapers increses at midlimb to just under a half inch at the tips.
started with about an inch of reflex, was dead flat after tillering and is now taken the slightest bit more set at rest, under an inch of set just unstrung
heat straightened one limb to fix the string alignment and left all bumps, dips, and twists for character. Finished with 4 coats of satin poly
55# at 28 1/2  please forgive my terrible form and worse photography skills

"If it feels like ur life is about to fall apart, back it with some rawhide an hope it holds together"

Offline osage outlaw

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Re: My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« Reply #1 on: June 14, 2011, 11:51:36 am »
Great job!  That looks really good.
I started out with nothin' and I still got most of it left

Offline Eric Krewson

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Re: My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2011, 11:54:04 am »
Nothing like osage, mighty fine bow. Looks like your bottom limb is a little weak. I would cut about 1/2" of the bottom limb and recut your nocks to get it a little stiffer. This way you won't loose any poundage and might gain a little.

Offline Pat B

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Re: My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2011, 12:17:28 pm »
You handled the character of that stave very well. Very nice bow. I agree with Eric...cut 1/2" off the bottom limb and recut the nocks. Other than that, very well done!!!  8)
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline IndianGuy

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Re: My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2011, 12:55:23 pm »
Very Nice bow you have there!  8)

Offline ErictheViking

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Re: My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2011, 01:19:16 pm »
that is a very nice bow. perfect for hunting.  listen to Pat B and Eric K they know what they are talking about.
"He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart"  C.S. Lewis

Offline toomanyknots

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Re: My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« Reply #6 on: June 14, 2011, 01:19:42 pm »
Noob or not thats damn professional looking bow and a damn professional job you did.
"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline JackCrafty

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Re: My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« Reply #7 on: June 14, 2011, 01:24:45 pm »
 8)
Any critter tastes good with enough butter on it.

Patrick Blank
Midland, Texas
Youtube: JackCrafty, Allergic Hobbit, Patrick Blank

Where's Rock? Public Waterways, Road Cuts, Landscape Supply, Knap-Ins.
How to Cook It?  200° for 24hrs then 275° to 500° for 4hrs (depending on type), Cool for 12hr

Offline bigcountry

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Re: My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« Reply #8 on: June 14, 2011, 05:31:43 pm »
Wish my first osage looked that good.  Congrads
Westminster, MD

Offline nativenoobowyer86

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Re: My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« Reply #9 on: June 14, 2011, 05:50:54 pm »
jackcrafty, toomanyknots, ErictheViking, IndianGuy, Osage outlaw -  Thanks for the kind words!

Eric Krewson, Pat B - Thank you for taking the time to check out my work and i appreciate the advice :) That is another good reason to leave it long.  I scrutinized the crap out of it, stared at it, changed its position, flipped it around and stared at it some more.........but now that you mention it, the lower limb does look weak lol  i will chop and reshape that nock tomorrow after work. :D
"If it feels like ur life is about to fall apart, back it with some rawhide an hope it holds together"

Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« Reply #10 on: June 14, 2011, 05:52:36 pm »
Excellent. Very nice bow. Enjoy it in good health. Jawge
Set Happens!
If you ain't breakin' you ain't makin!

Cacatch

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Re: My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« Reply #11 on: June 14, 2011, 06:04:47 pm »
I don't think the bottom limb looks weak at all. I think it looks excellent the way it is. I think if you chop and reshape the bottom nock you will not end up happy with the results.

CP

Offline johnston

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Re: My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« Reply #12 on: June 14, 2011, 07:21:13 pm »
Truly nice. I would shoot it a while then look at it again before trimming any but hey I'm a noobie too.

Great looking bow.

Lane

Offline Eric Krewson

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Re: My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« Reply #13 on: June 14, 2011, 09:50:11 pm »
Just finished my 136th bow, I spot things pretty well. Use a ruler, measure down 1ft from your nocks with your bow strung and check the distance from your string to the belly on both limbs. This will tell you idf your bottom limb is weak.

Offline Cameroo

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Re: My first Osage Orange selfbow!
« Reply #14 on: June 14, 2011, 10:48:46 pm »
Nice job bud  ;D