handle/riser question

[Tortoise]

glued the riser up to my osage board bow, and it's now 1 1/2" thick. Can the handle be 1 1/4" wide, or will that be too weak? the board itself is 2" wide. Oh and the handle area would be 4" long if that helps.

[JW_Halverson]

glued the riser up to my osage board bow, and it's now 1 1/2" thick. Can the handle be 1 1/4" wide, or will that be too weak? the board itself is 2" wide. Oh and the handle area would be 4" long if that helps.

You are in great shape with the inch and a half thickness.  You could go to a one inch wide handle and still have enough stiffness.  But does the handle glue-up extend at least partway into the fade-outs of the limbs?

[HickoryBill]

I was just going to ask how long your handle fades were....

[Tortoise]

But does the handle glue-up extend at least partway into the fade-outs of the limbs?

I don't quite understand what you mean there...

[JW_Halverson]

The narrow section where your hand grips the bow is the handle.  Easy enough.

Then there is the section of the limb just past the grip section where the wood widens out and simultaneously thins down.  That is your fade-out.  It fades out from a handle to a limb. 

If your glue up stops at the handle area, you may have problems with flex in the grip causing the handle to pop off.  You may also have trouble with too much bend in the fade out section causing the bow to break. 

Can you post a pic?

[osage outlaw]

Check out Pearl Drums post called One in the works.  I think it is the 3rd picture where it shows his handle laminations fading out into the start of the limbs.  That is what JW is talking about.

[Tortoise]

The gluing job is better than it looks in the pictures. Anyway, here is what I am planning to do with this. 

[JW_Halverson]

Looks good, start making shavings!!!

[Tortoise]

Thanks! So at the trapezoid-shaped sections I will start fading it into the limbs downward, that should work right? Or should I do that after the last crossing line

[JW_Halverson]

Start where your 4 inches of handle stops, at the narrow end of the trapezoid, and start thinning down to the bow limb.  I usually do that part with a sharp chisel and a happer.  You may want to use a rasp or whatever you feel comfortable using. 

[Tortoise]

Ok thanks I can't wait to start working on it!

[JW_Halverson]

Tortoise?  What are you doing back here reading this when you should be working on your bow.  Shame on you for being such a slacker.  Back to the shop, young man.