Author Topic: Building my first osage bow - first build along post (Read 14186 times)

H Rhodes · « **Reply #15 on:** April 09, 2012, 05:23:22 am »

I am still trying to catch up on my posts. I work shift work and have to leave this project hanging more than I would like. I got the back sanded pretty smooth and sealed it with spray shellac. I have been spraying the whole bow with shellac when I have to leave it for a few days. It seems plenty dry, but I am a little paranoid about finding a new drying crack.... So far the shellac, or maybe just good karma, has prevented that. More to follow.

JW_Halverson · « **Reply #16 on:** April 09, 2012, 06:03:06 pm »

You just plain NAILED it with the steam job. Good work.

One of the tools you forgot to list was bulldozer...even if someone else actually drove it, it's still one of the tools involved!!!

H Rhodes · « **Reply #17 on:** April 10, 2012, 06:00:41 am »

Ha! Yeah, the dozer work and the subsequent burning helped this project along. I was lucky to find such a piece of wood in a burn pile. Thanks JW. I was tickled with the way that osage bends... It is sort of ironic that it responds so well to steaming and bending while being so doggone hard and tough. I see what all the fuss is about. I am liking this yellow wood!
I did some work on it yesterday afternoon. I worked the nocks down a bit with the rasp, so they don't look quite so rough now. I went back to the very low brace and the tillering tree and excersized the limbs 20 or 30 pulls and checked to see if the limbs were bending evenly. Had to work on the upper limb a bit with the rasp and followed it up with the cabinet scraper and got the limbs bending pretty evenly.
Once they were bending evenly, I braced the bow at about 3 inches. I excercised the limbs a little at that brace height and checked that they were still bending evenly. I see that my string is out of alignment and I will be steaming and bending tomorrow to get the string bisecting the handle. I began work on the handle by glueing on two rectangles of heavy tool leather soaked in super glue. I knocked the corners off the hard leather with the rasp and am encouraged that this thing is really looking like a bow. I pulled the bow to 50lbs @ 22" at the 3 inch brace height today.

H Rhodes · « **Reply #18 on:** April 10, 2012, 06:22:43 am »

Here is the next issue that I will have to tackle.... The string is not centered and I am planning on inducing a lateral bend to try and make it bisect the handle. I am a little concerned about this because the dog leg in the bow is right where the biggest knot is located. I left the knot proud on the back and I am thinking about where to induce the bend... I don't want to torque the bow sideways and damage it at the knot.... I would appreciate any advice any of you experienced osage guys might have to offer.

The rest of this build along is in real time.

H Rhodes · « **Reply #19 on:** April 10, 2012, 06:24:09 am »

Here is the bow at 3" brace height on the tiller tree.

JW_Halverson · « **Reply #20 on:** April 11, 2012, 10:21:07 pm »

If I have to tweak a limb, I often pick the STRAIGHTEST section to heat and bend. After all, that wood will take more abuse than the spot with a knot in the middle of it.

George Stoneberg will have a laugh thinking of me ADDING character to a stave when I give him so much guff about his crappy wood!

H Rhodes · « **Reply #21 on:** April 12, 2012, 03:17:19 am »

That is sort of what I tried to do today, JW. I steamed and bent this offending limb and got the string tracking closer to center. I put the bow over a small pot of water and tried to do the bending a little ways below the big knot. It worked out good, since the string is now bisecting the handle more like it should. This thing is looking more like a bow every day. I also took a pic of the tips which are 3/8" at the tip and keeping that width back to the second fades. I used a very small overlay of antler. I am trying to keep my tips light weight. Here are few more pics...

H Rhodes · « **Reply #22 on:** April 12, 2012, 03:35:22 am »

My method for straightening the bow this time was pretty straight forward. I got some pot holders on my hands and took it off the pot and bent it against a folded towel on my kitchen counter. Not too scientific, I know... but I steamed it for about 30 minutes and then bent it until it looked about straight and then bent it just a little more and held it there for a few minutes. Once it cooled I put the string on it and liked what I saw. I think with a lateral bend like this, where the bow won't be flexing to undo my work, it didn't matter much that I didn't have it cooling off and drying while clamped in a form.

Here is a pic of the tips too.

I am enjoying this bow building stuff! I had worked off an 11-7 shift and couldn't wait to get home and get started on it... It is an affliction! anyway..... I have to get on with some serious tillering work over the next few days, so I am gonna try to curb my enthusiasm and SLOW down. Nothing but the cabinet scraper from here on out. She is pulling 50# @ 22" on a 3 inch brace right now. More to follow.

gstoneberg · « **Reply #23 on:** April 12, 2012, 03:43:41 am »

Good looking bow, and nice build-along. You're funny JW.

George

Pappy · « **Reply #24 on:** April 12, 2012, 12:12:26 pm »

Looking good,if it was me I would let it dry out good before tillering or even stringing it after the steaming.jmo.

Pappy

PAHunter · « **Reply #25 on:** April 12, 2012, 01:42:29 pm »

Looking good man, thanks for sharing! I've been told dry heat for dry bows and wet heat for wet bows. So at this point you could have just held the bow over the heat/flame/heat gun instead of steaming. What you did worked great but you'll just have to keep an eye on whether you put mositure back into the limb. Or so I'm told.

Can't wait to see more!!

JW_Halverson · « **Reply #26 on:** April 12, 2012, 04:47:25 pm »

Quote from: gstoneberg on April 12, 2012, 03:43:41 am

You're funny JW.
George

Must be referring to my looks.

That wood will take up plenty of moisture when steaming, be sure to give it plenty of time to come back to normal moisture before you put any bend to it!!! No sense undoing all the good work you have put into her already. I mean that, you are doing great.

I can tell you are enjoying the process because every time I log on here you have posted something else you have done for the bow. That's a sure sign of the addiction. You may claim you can quit at any time, but you don't. You just don't.

Dazv · « **Reply #27 on:** April 12, 2012, 05:34:31 pm »

Im really looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

H Rhodes · « **Reply #28 on:** April 13, 2012, 07:32:09 am »

Thanks for the advice guys. Pappy, since the last steam bending, all I have done is put a long string on it to check the alignment. How long would you wait for it to dry before resuming the bending and tillering? I have high hopes for this bow and sure don't want to mess it up.

I did consider using dry heat, but have never done it before. Thanks for the kind words and the help. I am glad to have PA to turn to - you guys have no idea how much you have helped me with my first bows, back when I was just lurking. This is a great website!

You are right JW, I am a full blown junky! If something won't let me sleep after a midnight shift, it is an obsession.

I have a little more roughing in work to do on the handle. I am planning on glueing up an arrow rest from some tool leather. That will be my next step.

Pappy · « **Reply #29 on:** April 13, 2012, 07:51:20 am »

I would give it at least a couple of days in a good dry place,I usuall only steam once unless I am making some server bends,I make all the minor corrections with dry heat,then you only need to wait till it's cools, a hour or so. Looking good.
Pappy

Primitive Archer