help with osage composite

[deermaster]

i want to make an osage backed with either hickory or bamboo.  i am getting the wood from 3rivers and here is where my question is.  will it be clear if its cut with bow making in mind? does it have to be clear? and of the 2 backing which would be better? looks dont matter.  i have a 28" draw. what is a good lenght to use? and some width diminsions would be great.  i'm thinking 1 1/2 at the fades and tapering to 1" at the tips and then tapering the last 3" of the tips to about 1/2" it will be a reflex/deflex and my ideas come from a recent PA magazine. the only differance is the article used hickory, not osage. what would be differant with hickory? thanks for any answers on my many questions...!!!!

[Jbell]

It is really up to you about the hickory or bamboo, both work well. I am pretty partial to bamboo though' from my experience it will hold the reflex better and will really take a beating. As far as lenghth goes 64" to 66" will work pretty well. Can't say if it will be free of knots or not, never ordered wood from them before. A few pin knots will be fine, If it is quarter sawn keep the knots towards the backing to keep the bow from folding in that area. The demensions that I use for a reflex deflex bbo are 1 1/4" at the fades to about mid limb then tapering to about 3/8" at tips then tapering the last few inches after my tip overlays are on and string is down center of handle. Good luck tillering a reflex deflex bow if it is your first, can be a real bugger getting the midlimb to bend nicely. Hope this helps.

[Justin Snyder]

I would do boo backed osage.  I have gotten some good boards from them and some that were barely suitable for handle blanks.  1 1/4" at the fades is probably plenty for osage.  I would have the nocks no more than 3/8". I like to keep the last 6" of the tips stiff, so I would taper from 1 1/4" at fades, to 5/8" at 6" from the end. A steep taper to 3/8" and stay 3/8" to the tips. This eliminates a lot of mass on the tips that can diminish performance. I have several that are boo backed osage and a couple of hickory backed hickory like this.  It certainly isn't the only way or more correct than any other, but it is a good design and I like it. Justin

[Pat B]

DeerMaster, Have you built a bow before? If not, a R/D design is gonna be difficult for you to tiller. A simple hickory backed osage bow with the same dimensions that Justin mentioned with 2" to 3" of Perry reflex will give you a hard shooting bow that will be a bit simpler to make. Bamboo makes a very good bow backing but is a lot of work to prepare.    Pat