Question about violating Osage pin knots

[make-n-break]

I'm chasing a ring on an Osage sapling. It has quite a few small pin knots. I'm going to make a short 45-50# NA style bendy handle. Right now I've left islands around the pins but I'm wondering if I can just chop them off, scrape them flat, and back the bow with burlap? Will it hold together if it's backed?

[hunterbob]

Why not run the ring as close as you can around the pin knots and then back with dog bone rawhide works great and cheap.

[make-n-break]

Yanno I think I'll take your advice Bob. Get them as close as I can and back it just for that little extra assurance. Thanks!

[Dvshunter]

You better not back that beautiful osage stick with burlap!  Atg least get some rawhide.  Although, unbacked would be fine too.  The best back for osage is air.

[osage outlaw]

You did the right thing by leaving an island around the pin knots.  A great tool for working the islands is a pair of scissors.  Take them apart and round the tip of one side off.  Now you have a precise pointy scraper and a rounded one for working around the pin knots.

[Hamish]

No need to back osage with pin knots unless it also has thin rings.

[make-n-break]

The rings are nice. No worries of too thin rings. I used scissors as you suggested Osage outlaw and got half the stave down to a nice ring. No pin violations yet. It's got a pretty high crown so that's my next concern. Dvs, I think air backed sounds great... Your comment made me laugh. I didn't really want to mess with rawhide anyway. I'll try unbacked and if it blows up, no hard feelings. Thanks all for the advice.

[Eric Krewson]

On small pins I have found that you can get away with small ring violations.

[crooketarrow]

 Don't give them no mine. With o'sage no reason to back it if you followed a ring. If you do have any ring valation. I still no pay much atention to it, I'll just barnish the whole bow really hitting the volations.

  I all ways use the first ring under the bark.

  No reason to back a osage bow of any size. If you've did your part makeing and tillering.

  You've got to stain the back before you barnish. Barnish first theres no staining through after you the barnish.

  If you know anything about building bows it's hard not to get a bow from a good osage stave.

[George Tsoukalas]

You've handled them properly so far. Get a pen knife and bring the pin knots to the same ring as the rest of the limb. Why violate if you don't have to? Jawge

[Badger]

   I buy those $6.00 cabinet scrapers at Rocklers. I round off the corners and sharpen them with my file just like the flat parts. The rounded corners work great on pin knots or any other undulation you might run across.

[Pat B]

I add a drop of super glue to each pin and other knots for insurance.

[make-n-break]

Thanks for all the advice. So far I've followed the recommendations you all have given me and still no violations. It's got nice thick rings so that makes my life easier. Working on it when I have spare time and just about done chasing the ring. I think I'll go no backing, no stain, burnished, and superglue for assurance. Not much experience with Osage saplings so you guys' help is greatly appreciated. I will post pics when it's done.