knot advice (more pics)

[AJMag]

Got this here piece of osage.  These two knots are right about center of the bow and fit perfectly outside the handle and in the fade area. Is there any foreseen issue with these knots being in the fade? These are also the first knots I've ever worked, so I'm wondering when a knot needs to be "drilled" out and when they can be left, if ever? The big one doesn't look the cleanest at the moment, but it's following the ring right up to the base of the rising part.  What says the experts?

[JonW]

I think both will be fine as far as placement. I would clean out the big one and fill the small one with super glue.

[Pat B]

I second what Jon said.

[DarkSoul]

You're doing fine. You placed those knots nicely in the fades and left sufficient wood around them.
The upper knot seems solid and should be left as it is. The lower knot is bigger and seems to carry a lot of dead wood. You might be able to push the dead wood out from the belly. Otherwise you could drill it out and fill it with something, but I don't even mind a cavity in a bow myself.

[Pappy]

Should be fine there,no bending in that part.I would try and clean out the big one
and other than that carry on.
   Pappy

[Tom Leemans]

Drilling and plugging on the tension side is often futile (though this is in a non bending area). I'd just clean it out as previously directed. It'll look cool that way anyway!

[George Tsoukalas]

Leave some wood around the knots. Looks like the bottom one needs more around the width.So when you lay out the bow leave some extra wood around the width. When you tiller let the knots appear a little flat. You don't want them bending too much. More on my site. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/index.html

[Shaun]

You mentioned, "following the ring right up to the base of the rising part". The ideal is to follow the ring right up to the peak of the knot. I leave an "island" of extra wood around a knot when chasing the back ring and then go back with small tools to do the ring chase at the knot. Small tools include pocket knife, horse shoe nail scraper and other scrapers.

The placement of your knots in the fades should mean they are not in the working (bending) part of the limb and should be no problem. Party on and show us the bow as it comes together.

[AJMag]

Thanks for the input fellas.  After Pat and Jon's input I started to dig on it a little last night.  Also started rethinking the layout I had marked. Only centered up the handle more to the stave as is, left the knots in the fades as is.  I had the idea of keep to that one side because there is a lot of angle on other side of the split. Trying to make sure I put it in the right spot to make sure I have plenty of wiggle room for handle shaping.

Shaun, I threw that info in just for "because" reasons I suppose. I had been working on chasing all the way but figured it would be an easier finish if I were to dig out the knot. Now that the knots is down, so is the island.

[AJMag]

Got a basic rough out done. Found another knot on that upper midlimb (second two pics) when I started reducing the belly. Does it look like it can be left on that edge with the amount of wood on the outside? This thing is sitting a hair over 1.25" at the moment, and I'd like to leave that knot so that I don't make the limb too narrow.

How much wood can be removed from around the big knot? I'm thinking the left side of the knot can narrow a little more, but how about the right, being where the knot is more prominent? As the tips line up at the moment, the string lines up almost centershot with the arrow next to that big knot. Planning to make this a shoot of the hand, too.