Osage self bow

[solodesperado81]

Im looking to make a 72" English Longbow out of osage.  I bought an osage plank from a local hardwood shop here in Colorado, They cut it to 1.25" wide x 72". Im new to this wood and would like some advice as to how to go about it as the growth rings are all over the place.  should this be backed.
I have made about 8 english lonbows ranging from 35-65 lbs out of red oak, maple and hickory, so this wood is new to me and a lil outta my comfort zone.
Thanks

[lesken2011]

I bought a less than desirable grained osage board and have made 2 bows from it so far. I backed one with hickory and the other with bamboo. Both turned out well and have held up so far. Osage seems to be forgiving...even with poor grain as long as it is backed. At least that is my experience so far. with bows in the 50-60 lb range.

[JW_Halverson]

Everyone knows you can't make a bow out of osage, just can't be done!  Especially an ELB!  Nope.  Never.   

But since you are going to do it anyway, backing the board with something like 'boo or hickory would be the ticket.  It's going to go a long way to fix the issue with grain violations.  The 'boo osage appeals most to me because of the contrast in coloration, referencing the sapwood/heartwood combination of classic yew longbows. 

'Sage has plenty of compression strength, so no worries about the backing overpowering the belly, either.  But being dense wood, you may want to make sure that your limb tips are plenty thin to counter the possibilities of hand shock.

[Pat B]

Hickory backing would be the easiest backing to add and makes for a very nice bow. It also gives a nice contrast to the osage. I've made a few osage ELBs and osage works well for that.

[JW_Halverson]

Forgot to mention....post pics as you go!