First Osage self bow questions

[ccase39]

I got a great deal on this stave and am ready to give it a go. I spent the week chasing a nice fat growth ring and got it about finished up tonight. I still have a little cleaning up to do but that wont take much time. It still needs to dry another month or two I am told so I want to rough it out and set it aside. As you can see it is pretty straight with a little twist. One knot is off to one side and the other is just off center so it can be incorporated into the handle or fade area. It is going to be a good looking bow when its done. So my question is where do I go from here? I have seen some build alongs and videos but the ones I have seen have had pretty straight staves. All they had to do was pop a string through center in order to find the tips and then drew pretty much a straight line. How do I go about getting my center line from tip to tip on this one? I want to do just a basic longbow or flatbow design nothing fancy and need a little help on either dodging the one knot or just incorporating it into the limb. Any help would be appreciated.

[ccase39]

I have no idea why my pics keep coming out sideways. They just all of a sudden started doing that. I am trying to figure it out but if a mod can help out it would be appreciated lol.

[BowEd]

You have a nice character bow there.You will have to follow the longitudal lines on the crown to get your center line.Hold it low angled to the light and you'll see them.From there your top view design taper and profile can be drawn in.Your knot you will have to follow the longitudal lines around it there too if it's included except the handle like you mentioned.It's a challenging stave but there is a bow there.Aligning the tips for a string to lay across the handle can be done later after your wood is dry enough to dry heat bend and it is reduced to a roughed out bow.Taking out any propeller can be done then too.The string popping you mentioned you saw probably was done after everything was heat straightened.You have too swirling of longitudal line to do this.To me from your pictures you have somewhat of a snakish type bow.Nice piece of wood and hope your ready to try it.Sounds like it anyway.

[BowEd]

Waiting till the wood is dry before dry heating will prevent any checking cracks developing from the heat.Looking again at your stave there should'nt be too much to really heat on yours for straightening.Putting a little reflex...say 2" overall will take a little heat too before tillering.Just taking the propeller out or twisting the one tip to be flat with the handle plane should do it.Might need to move one tip over a bit too.Do you have any forms?A heat gun?

[ccase39]

Waiting till the wood is dry before dry heating will prevent any checking cracks developing from the heat.Looking again at your stave there should'nt be too much to really heat on yours for straightening.Putting a little reflex...say 2" overall will take a little heat too before tillering.Just taking the propeller out or twisting the one tip to be flat with the handle plane should do it.Might need to move one tip over a bit too.Do you have any forms?A heat gun?

Have a heat gun but was looking for it earlier for something else and couldnt find it. It will turn up. I do plan on putting a little reflex in it as you mentioned. So I just start at the center of the little tip and draw a line straight down the length of it to the other end? What dimensions would you recommend as far as the taper?

[BowEd]

I did'nt catch how long your stave was,or how long of a bow you want.First you must reduce your stave to a roughed out bow.To make sure it is dry.Reduce it to 1" thick in the limbs and 1.5" thick in the handle but keep the width you got.Don't mess with that yet.I take that roughed out bow in my house at 50% humidity for 3 weeks for sure before making a bow with it usually.Do you know how old it is?Have you made a bow before?What tools do you have?For a 66" bow NTN  you can from the center of the handle measure to midlimb.Make a mark.Go out from the center of handle 2.25" both ways.That's your handle.From the end of your handle both ways make a mark 1.5".Those are your fades.For the center line you will have to follow the longitudal grain that runs lengthwise on your stave on the crown preferably.It looks like yours has some wiggle to it.You must follow that and make your width and taper along that line.Don't run a straight line across those meandering longitudal lines.Like so.

[BowEd]

[blackhawk]

Get the stave out in the sun and you will easily be able to see the grain lines...follow them wherever they go,and that will determine your front profile shape...like ed said around knots it will swell and flow around them like water going around a rock

[ccase39]

I did'nt catch how long your stave was,or how long of a bow you want.First you must reduce your stave to a roughed out bow.To make sure it is dry.Reduce it to 1" thick in the limbs and 1.5" thick in the handle but keep the width you got.Don't mess with that yet.I take that roughed out bow in my house at 50% humidity for 3 weeks for sure before making a bow with it usually.Do you know how old it is?Have you made a bow before?What tools do you have?For a 66" bow NTN  you can from the center of the handle measure to midlimb.Make a mark.Go out from the center of handle 2.25" both ways.That's your handle.From the end of your handle both ways make a mark 1.5".Those are your fades.For the center line you will have to follow the longitudal grain that runs lengthwise on your stave on the crown preferably.It looks like yours has some wiggle to it.You must follow that and make your width and taper along that line.Don't run a straight line across those meandering longitudal lines.Like so.

This one was cut early 2015 and is 65 inches TtT. I would like to make it 63 or so NTN. I have made several bows from Osage slats and and Ipe bow so I have pretty much all tools needed from a draw knife and scraper to belt sander and band saw. I dont want to use any power tools though. I have only done one self bow from a stave and that was from a hickory stave. It wound up too light but feels good although I havent done final sanding yet. Should i keep the limbs 1.5" thick to mid limb and then straight taper to 5/8 or so?

[ccase39]

I used my thumb as a guide down the side of the stave following the grain. This look about right? Nevermind about that line on the left. The one I did in sharpie is what I am asking about.

PS That is a good looking bow!

[bradsmith2010]

something like this,,

[BowEd]

I did'nt catch how long your stave was,or how long of a bow you want.First you must reduce your stave to a roughed out bow.To make sure it is dry.Reduce it to 1" thick in the limbs and 1.5" thick in the handle but keep the width you got.Don't mess with that yet.I take that roughed out bow in my house at 50% humidity for 3 weeks for sure before making a bow with it usually.Do you know how old it is?Have you made a bow before?What tools do you have?For a 66" bow NTN  you can from the center of the handle measure to midlimb.Make a mark.Go out from the center of handle 2.25" both ways.That's your handle.From the end of your handle both ways make a mark 1.5".Those are your fades.For the center line you will have to follow the longitudal grain that runs lengthwise on your stave on the crown preferably.It looks like yours has some wiggle to it.You must follow that and make your width and taper along that line.Don't run a straight line across those meandering longitudal lines.Like so.
Ok.A 63" is easily doable with the stave you got there.Glad you've done some bows before.When I said reduce to 1" thickness that's starting right from the fades.Your fades will be 1" thick.Not an overall taper from 1.5" handle to 1" thick at the tip.Basically it would look like an overbuilt bow from the side but full width yet from the top.You can do that with a farriers rasp and maybe reduce it some in the beginning with a hatchet if you don't like the dust.I built my first 18 bows like this before I got a bandsaw.The limbs will dry faster being thinner and the wood you will be bending first.You will reduce any chance if any at this point of your bow warping sideways.It might even gain reflex who knows.First you want to get it dry.I take it inside the house at about 50% humidity or less in the winter time.Do you have a scale?Weigh it after the reduction every day.Put a fan on it.Keep weighing it till it quits losing weight.Write the weight of it on the bottom of the stave to remember.The weight reduction amount will slow down as days go on.Now when it quits losing weight for 3 to 4 days leave it drying yet at least 1/3 of the total amount of time it took to quit losing weight in the beginning.Sounds complicated but it's not.You have to be patient.By then it should be around at least 9%.Previous bowyers before taught me this and it works.
We'll worry about your center line later when it's dry.

[BowEd]

Sorry about the highlighted paragraphs....lol.Read the whole thing.I pushed the wrong buttons there.Darn computer....lol.I'm a 1 finger typer.

[ccase39]

Sorry about the highlighted paragraphs....lol.Read the whole thing.I pushed the wrong buttons there.Darn computer....lol.I'm a 1 finger typer.

Ok, so you are talking about removing wood from the belly side of the bow at the handle for now right?

[BowEd]

Start at the end of the handle on the belly side over the next 2" taper it to 1" thick and keep it 1" thick all the way to the tips.