Osage sapling bow...suggestions and current progress...

[Primitive1]

Osage sapling about 3yrs old...belly has longitudinal crack but appears to only go to 'core'...probably won't be evident in finished bow.  I've finished chasing down the back to a usable fat ring (there's only 3 from the core) and very carefully left the pin knots proud.  Length is 70" with the top of the sapling at just over an inch in diameter and the bottom at about an inch and a quarter.  The back is high crowned (think of a paper towel tube) and you can see the pin knots all over the place where I worked the back down...so, I would love to keep the length, shoot for a handle area of about 1 1/16th wide and tips around 3/8 of an inch...I know it's long for osage but would like to distribute the stress as far along as I can to alleviate the possiblity of any knot issues/failures.  Reaching for 60-65# @ 28"...thoughts?  Here are a couple of pics, just finished the back...

[MWirwicki]

I sure wish Mr. Sonny Iman from Ohio was still with us.  He used to call them "limb bows".  He'd give you the best advice.  As long as your sapling is, you should probably meet the stats you are hoping for.  Beware of the small diameter back, though.  You will have to inspect regularly for lifts just in front and behind the pin knots.  Back sinew wrapping usually holds them down, if it does happen.  Sonny would leave the handle area uncut and fade into cuts for the upper and lower limbs.  Usually starting about halfway through the limb about into the pith.  The final bow often would tiller down beyond the pith.  Sonny's bows were shorter, if I recall between 52 and 60 inches.  He was a 26" shooter, thereabouts.  I would leave it thick to be on the safe side and do the remaining thinning with the hand tools.  Good Luck!

[swtchbckshtr]

thats nice, should make a nice bow... wish we had osage here. post pics of your progress Id like to see how it turns out

[Dauntless]

I've always hear that osage was one of the tension strong woods, although chasing a ring undoubtedly leaves some fibres cut.  Other than that 70 inches might be a little long for osage with its density. In the end though, you could probably do what you want with this other than a paddle bow. 

The crown will act as a trapped back too, upping performance a bit.

[Little John]

I made one five years ago from an osage pole given to me by Pat B, I decrowned it and sinue backed the working limb part of it. It has a glued on piece of wood to make the handle thick enough and a mollie ish profile, 62" nockto nock with slightly thickned and 5/16" wide lever tips. It has over two inches of reflex and shoots nice even tho it came in seriously under weight at only 42# at 28".    Kenneth

[Pappy]

Nice limb/pole.I have made several like that and do about like what MWirwicki
said,Start in the middle and leave the handle full,and tapper the limb from there,I have also split them or sawed them right down the center and made a bend  handle bow,you get 2 for one that way. You are right MW,Sonny was a fine Man,I used to camp with him and his wife in Cloverdale for several years and would buy all the kids arrows he had,the TwinOaks kids all grew up shooting his arrows. He was the limb bow master. Also you can keep in mind,It don't take much
Osage to make a bow. Good luck and keep us posted.
   Pappy

[Pat B]

I first read about Sonny Iman in an old issue of PA. Loved his ideas about his "limbows".   I got to meet Sonny when my wife and I stopped by a shoot going on at Farmland, In on our way home from Northeast IN. Had a chance to chat for a few minutes and fondle a few of Sonny's bows.
I have made a few (limbows, pole bows, etc)myself and I kept the sapwood on like Sonny did.
  My first was a 3" diameter I sawed in half lengthwise and removed all but a few sapwood rings. I sent half to Little John and built a bow from my half. One problem we had was the excessive backset they drew up in. The bow I built is 66"t/t, 53#@26" and still holds about 3 1/2" to 4" of backset. It did lift a splinter on the high crowned back. One day I'll rawhide back it for insurance.
  The last set of staves I made from a pole I sawed a 2" diameter pole with just the bark removed and the back sealed with shellac. After sawing I bound the 2 halves back together with a few spacers between to allow air flow. After a few months I unbound them and they held a slightly reflex side profile. Haven't made a bow from mine yet but am looking forward to it.

[Primitive1]

I've chased the back down and now I'm doing the same thing on the belly...just wanting to make sure of where I'm at and that any side knots are given their due and not inadvertantly cut down or weakened in any way...should I just cut through the belly knots?  I'm thinking that if I 'chase a ring' on both the belly and back and then flatten them to some degree (most likely won't even be cutting through the rings since they're large), I'll be able to distribute both stresses a little bit better and perhaps better avoid the possibility of a  knot failure...anyway, here are a few pics of where I'm at on the belly...you can see the longitudinal crack that doesn't wander off of either side...not sure what, if anything, I'm going to do about that yet...but it shouldn't affect the bow one way or the other from what I've read (other than the need to seal it some way after completion of tiller)...it's wonderful to be back at this again, it's been awhile! (life happens between bows, eh?)

[George Tsoukalas]

That looks like a drying crack. You did everything right. You got close to heartwood with ring chasing which means the sapwood is stronger the closer you get. You left the stave a few  inches longer than usual to counteract the crown. I'd say you are good to go. Now if you make a slightly bending handle you would be in a little better shape. I like making sapling bows too. Jawge

[Primitive1]

Well, I'm very close to being finished...had her in the drying box overnight prior to putting a parrafin/was finish on her and a handle wrap.  Turned out better than I thought...definitely hit my target weight of 65# @ 28"...actually a little beyond that so I want to shoot her a bit more to have things settle in and then I'll post some 'money' shots.   It's good to be back at this!  I've got a couple bows resting against the bench that are next on the block...one of them is absolutely ugly, ugly, ugly and shorter than I like...hope I can pull it off...Cheers, P1.

[Lee Slikkers]

That is one interesting looking stick!  Any chance you can post some better pics of the back and maybe add an explanation of what the deep groove is there for?  LOVE the character of that one...wow.

[BowEd]

Looks like it's a shooter...Great job....wonder about the hand shock though.

[Primitive1]

Sure Lee, the 'core' or valley on the belly is where the pith was (soft, spongy core of the sapling)...I had to make a simple, yet interesting tool to be able to remove it successfully without tearing things up.  Here's a couple of other pics...still working the poundage down some...around 60#+ at this point...gonna stop now and get some wax and a handle on her...
Beadman...I kept it somewhat still through the handle and near tip area...no noticable hand-shock.  Thanks, P1.

[blackhawk]

NICE. ... . I hope that belly holds up. That's def unique. Excellent bend. I imagine it will hold up with that tiller.

[Primitive1]

All done, wax application and handle applied...on to the next one!  69.5" NtN, 63# @ 27"