Help with Osage blank

[Fred Arnold]

This blank has been stored at my residence for over 7 years. Originally came to me as an iffy
stave because of borer damage through the bark and sapwood. Also ate into the heartwood so I took it down to the fist ring past the damage and then stored it away.

The question I have is can the limbs be straightened from east to west? It had major twist in one limb that I straightened. Measurements are 73 1/2 L x 1 1/2 to 2 W x  1 1/2 D at the handle.

The way it now stands the string will come nowhere near tracking the grip area.

[PEARL DRUMS]

You can bend, flatten, straighten, curve or uncurve osage with a heat gun. Make a bow and find out what way it needs to move then. You may be suprised after you brace it.

[Buckeye Guy]

Looks to strait all ready to me !!
Should be easy !!

[osage outlaw]

That's an easy fix with a heatgun.

[Fred Arnold]

Thanks Pearl Drums.
I'm a novice at best hear so I appreciate your help.
Dean Torges recommended in his book " Hunting The Osage Bow", that he felt it best to straighten the limbs while still green before the moisture and sap had left the limbs. In this case that is not possible.
In order to keep from weakening the wood cells and possibly losing cast I wondered if it might be better to split the handle section, square it up, and proceed with a take down.
This will be a first for me and I'm searching for all of the good advise I can get.

Osage Outlaw, I was typing while your response came in. Thanks. I corrected the twist with the heat gun but didn't know if it would work moving the handle area and limbs over to match up.
Would you recommend taking the blank closer to floor tillering stage before trying to straighten?
Fred

[osage outlaw]

It would be easier to heat and bend if it was at floor tiller stage.  Go slow and steady with a heat gun and make gentle corrections.  Don't scortch it.  That piece is acually pretty straight for osage.  It won't take much to line it up.  Unless you are really wanting a take down, I would not cut it in half just to straighten it. 

That's a beautiful piece of aged osage.  I love the color of the end grain.  Good luck with it.

[Fred Arnold]

Thanks for the advice osage outlaw. I finally got to spend some time and put the stick in the Stave Press. Going at a snails pace but need to be careful the way my mind wanders.
 
Decided on a 64" bow so cut the blank to 66" from the twisted end and designated it as the top limb. Top limb is 1 5/8" longer than the bottom.

I'm trying to follow Dean Torges plan from "Hunting the Osage Bow". He's a much bigger man than I am but I have a longer draw length. Shooting for 54#@28 because that's what my Keasey pulls and I'm real comfortable with it at my 28 1/2" draw.


I straightened the twist after the pic was taken. I'm planning on a couple more hours again tomorrow. Still have to align that bottom limb which is actually facing topside in this pic.

I'm still needing all the good advice I can get so please keep it comin!

[mikekeswick]

A good tip to help stop scorching the wood when correcting is to coat it with some cooking oil (olive oil smells nice!) before heating. It helps to spread the heat out. That's a fine piece of osage.