Author Topic: tale of an old fencepost  (Read 12168 times)

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Offline sadiejane

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tale of an old fencepost
« on: July 03, 2012, 10:51:18 am »
ok, so my bowmaking buddy nick came to town one nite with a gnarly old osage fencepost.
after cutting off one end that was a huge knot/rotted mess
we split it up into three pieces.
only one even looked like there may be any potential for making a bow
even tho it was osage, it was so old there was a cupla inches of rot all around the outside.
i worked on that one piece that nite and got really frustrated.
a lovely deep dark brown all the way thru, the rings were pretty tight and difficult for these old eyes to even see.
this photo shows after removing the worst of the rot

there wasnt much wood to start with and still lots of rot to remove

one end showed tiny rings till you got down so far there would be little wood left for a bow

the other end showed better rings
and yes this end is clamped down just the way the previous pic was taken
so you can see the 45 degree twist

at least three times i sat down with this gnarly stick determined to find a bow in there somewheres


gotta run-tell ya the rest of the story later....


wild women don't get the blues

Offline lesken2011

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Re: tale of an old fencepost
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2012, 10:53:53 am »
What a teaser, Sadie! I gotta see how this turns out!
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Kenny from Mississippi, USA

Offline osage outlaw

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Re: tale of an old fencepost
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2012, 12:13:57 pm »
I love the color of old osage.  Good luck with it Sadie  :)
I started out with nothin' and I still got most of it left

Offline coaster500

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Re: tale of an old fencepost
« Reply #3 on: July 03, 2012, 01:30:00 pm »
That will be something if you can pull it off Sadie....  How long is it?
Inspiration, information and instruction by the ton and it's free,,, such a deal :)

Offline Will H

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Re: tale of an old fencepost
« Reply #4 on: July 03, 2012, 02:38:19 pm »
Lookin good! Can't wait to see how it turns out for ya :)
Proud Member of Twin Oaks Bowhunters
           Clarksville, Tennessee

   "Middle Tennessee is the place to be"

Offline Badly Bent

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Re: tale of an old fencepost
« Reply #5 on: July 03, 2012, 03:10:43 pm »
I know what your up against Sadie, hard work but worth the effort. My first seven selfbows were made from osage fence post that the farmer said had been in the ground for 65 years, all tight ringed and hard as stone. That coupled with the fact that i had never made a bow before made for some serious hard work. Made three hunting weight bows for myself and  four kids bows, one for each of my daughters. 14 years later and they all still shoot, that osage is some tough stuff. Good luck with yours and keep us posted. I'm betting you find a bow in there.
Greg
I ain't broke but I'm badly bent.

Offline soy

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Re: tale of an old fencepost
« Reply #6 on: July 04, 2012, 01:18:05 am »
That is coyote ugly! Bet there is a purdy one in there somewhere  >:D
Is this bow making a sickness? or the cure...

Offline gstoneberg

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Re: tale of an old fencepost
« Reply #7 on: July 04, 2012, 01:57:03 am »
Cool Sadie, I sure hope there's a bow in there.  I have a whole rack of old fence posts.  Should trade some of them off.

George
St Paul, TX

Offline criveraville

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Re: tale of an old fencepost
« Reply #8 on: July 04, 2012, 02:41:41 am »
Cool post  ;) Teasing not cool  >:D

Cipriano
I was HECHO EN MEXICO, but assembled in Texas and I'm Texican as the day is long...  Psalm 127:4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

Offline dwardo

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Re: tale of an old fencepost
« Reply #9 on: July 04, 2012, 10:25:05 am »
An optimist! I like it.

Offline soy

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Re: tale of an old fencepost
« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2012, 03:44:15 am »
Quit teasing  >:(  :D
Is this bow making a sickness? or the cure...

Offline sadiejane

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Re: tale of an old fencepost
« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2012, 11:24:40 am »
sorry fellas, its been a crazy week
having a holiday in the middle of the week leaves me confused what day it is and where im supposed to be.... ;D

on to the story:
well over a year has passed and im still thinking about that little
knotty bit of old osage post standing in the corner.
ive been making a bows a cupla yrs now, surely i can make one outta that.
have made em outta some pretty marginal bits of osage.
took it out again and again i got completely frustrated sure i would
end up making nothing but kindling...


somewhere along the line i joined primitive archer and have had a
great time here.
learned lots,
and have seen some amazing bows come from all yalls hands.
have also seen some nasty bits of wood become beautiful bows.
seen some break too, never to have a single arrow pass thru them.
"if yr not breaking, yr not making" thats what you fellas often say...
ok what the hell, it will be a bow or it will be kindling but it shldnt
just sit there in the corner ignored

in the meantime i have also had numerous conversations with folks here on pa,
and had the opportunity to meet a cupla yall.
both gun doc and occupant have showed up on wednesday nites to shoot bows,
talk bows, knap obsidian and swill a few adult beverages.
wild women don't get the blues

Offline Pappy

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Re: tale of an old fencepost
« Reply #12 on: July 06, 2012, 11:50:42 am »
Looking forward to keeping up with your challenge. :)
  Pappy
Clarksville,Tennessee
TwinOaks Bowhunters
Life is Good

Offline gstoneberg

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Re: tale of an old fencepost
« Reply #13 on: July 06, 2012, 11:52:13 am »
Sadie,

I have a very similarly colored billet from an old fence post that I've been waiting to work a mate for.  I did sister splits from a short fence post and one has horrible knots in it.  The other is a little short, but if you run out of length to get a bow from your piece let me know and I'll send my billet to you.  Maybe spliced they'd make a bow, or you can have both billets of mine if you want.  I have lots of posts, but have only worked a couple.

George
St Paul, TX

Offline sadiejane

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Re: tale of an old fencepost
« Reply #14 on: July 06, 2012, 01:34:08 pm »
thanks george-thats mighty kind of ya!
lets see where this goes first, the story will determine my worthiness...
wild women don't get the blues