The Teacher

[Michael C.]

Well I've never done a bow build along and decided to start a new one today to burn off some steam. This is a stave I got in a trade and I am going to have some fun with it or it's going to have some fun with me rather. I like a snakey stave and I like a stave with some bend, but this is probably the craziest piece of Osage I've tried yet. I have it down to one ring but the late to early ratio is pretty thin so I may take it down to one of the thicker rings further down.I think it's going to be  fun, interesting and a lesson when it's finished.






This is a borer hole that would probably disappear if I take it down to one of the thicker rings. I don't think it would hurt even if it doesn't since it's in the handle.

[gstoneberg]

Cool, my kind-a wood.  It's got some twist and tight rings.  Personally once I get a good ring end to end I'm done with the back.  I don't care how thin the rings are.  That's going to be a nice bow.

George

[criveraville]

Michael, I am going to enjoy this build a long. .  Interesting name too:) Now where could a man get a stick like that??

[cracker]

This is gonna be good I'd definately take it down to a thicker ring.Ron

[TRACY]

There IS a bow in there! I really like the abrupt bend in the stave. Good luck

Tracy

[Michael C.]

George I would have done that but im a bit stubborn and I really like the way the back of this one is going to be bumpy on the back when I take it down a few rings.

Yeah Cip I thought it would be an appropriate name for it considering, maybe it should be called el Professor.

Yeah cracker I started about 10 this morning and I think I almost have it down to one I like.

Yup and a sweet one too Tracy.

[Michael C.]

Got it about six more rings down to one of the bigger rings and cut the outline 1 1/4 all the way down from end to end to see what I am working with before I decide what sort of tips I'm going to make. This will probably have to wait till next weekend for me to make anymore posts but I thought I would at least get it to this stage for the second day. Boy this thing has curves in all directions and I'm really excited to see how it turns out.

[cracker]

Wow that side profile is off the hook, it looks like some kinday evil gull wing design.Ron

[criveraville]

That's looking good Michael. El professor would work too:)

[Michael C.]

Well I know I said I probably wouldn't work on it this week but I had to dig into it tonight and try to get it floor tillered. As soon as I started getting into the wood I noticed quite a few challenges that I was hoping were going to disappear as I got into the wood, but you never really know until you start digging. I don't think it's a lost cause but I think it is definitely going to be a fight all the way with this one and I don't plan on quitting until I have a bow or it's broken anyway.


Some vertical checking that doesn't really worry me to much yet


quite a few knot holes on the other side that I tried to see if I could avoid on the layout but realized unless I made the bow 3/4 of an inch wide I wasn't going to be able to, these don't spell doom in my book either, just have to be careful. You can see the crack I'm talking about below in this one by the bottom two knot holes.


This is the one that has me sort of worried - it's a crack that runs off the side about 4 inches away from the fade which is going to be bending. I noticed it when I was laying it out, but didn't realize how deep it ran into the stave until I started filing down and then noticed it went all the from the center to the edge of the limb. Sometimes when you are splitting the wood this happens and it can cause some issues, but again I don't know that it's a lost cause just yet it may just end up being a lighter bow than I expected


This is the same crack going off on the side.

[cracker]

That is definately gonna be a chalenge but I'm sure you're gonna be able to pull it off. Ron

[Michael C.]

Anyone have any tricks they have tried or used on a crack like that or any ideas on what I might try? At this point I'm considering injecting some sort of glue and then wrapping it with some sinew or something after I get it bending a bit. I don't know if I should wait until it's bending to much though or it might give. If it does my back up plan is to get a take down handle and just mate the good limb to another osage limb that I have in my garage.

[gstoneberg]

That is unfortunate.  A wrap is about the only thing I know that might work.  The problem is that once you wrap it  you'll be unable to tiller any more on that spot.  You'll almost certainly have a stiff spot there.  This isn't the end of the world, but it might not be what you were hoping.  And, this could be one time where a wrap might not hold it, given the stresses at that point and how deep the crack goes.  I have a bow with a bad crack in the working limb wrapped and shooting, but still unfinished, so it is possible.  My bow only loses about a fourth of the width with the crack though.  I hope others give you a better answer.  I'm about evenly split between a wrap and just using the good limb on this.  If you leave the handle thick you might could go ahead and tiller this one part way and if it doesn't look good go the cut and splice route.

Good luck,
George

[Michael C.]

Well I don't know that it won't make it at this point just seeing if there was anything that I could try to minimize the possibilities of it breaking. I'll be working on it more this weekend and it shouldn't be long before I know one way or the other. I'm thinking now that I should have just listened to you George when you said as soon as you get a solid ring you stop. I think I might have had enough room to lay the bow out and not have to worry so much about that crack on the edge, but after I took it down to one of the bigger rings it left me with a lot less wood on either side to work with.

[gstoneberg]

I've had the same thing happen because of borers where I had to go deep to get under them and then didn't have enough depth to make a bow.  You never know, your stave might make a fine bow.  Never count osage out, it is wonderful wood.

George