Crown problems?

[DarkSoul]

This another case of people overthinking bow making.

How many of you guys concerned about the "neutral plane" have actually made a bow out of a similar osage sprout? Opinions don't count, only actual experience. List all your neutral plane failures from the different belly configurations that you have used. Inquiring minds want to know.......

Since I'm the one that started the 'neutral plane' issue here...
I have never worked with osage. It doesn't grow in my country, so it's very hard to get for me. But I don't see why pondering over theoretical things such as the neutral plane, makes bow making 'overthinking'. I personally think that my remark of the neutral plane, and the benefits of a crowned belly, have sparked a great discussion. Springbuck's remark "The first consideration to making a sapling bow is choosing a high tensile strength wood........elm, osage, hickory" has hit the nail on the head for me. This osage sapling 'gets away' with the flat belly, because osage can take the extreme tensile strength. So, if this sapling was ash or maple, it would have likely failed in tension. In my opinion, a crowned belly would have shifted the neutral plane enough to the back, as to not tear the crowned back itself apart. So, Eric, this "opinion" is for me very valuable, and I don't need personal experiences per se.

[joachimM]

Since I'm the one that started the 'neutral plane' issue here...
In my opinion, a crowned belly would have shifted the neutral plane enough to the back, as to not tear the crowned back itself apart. So, Eric, this "opinion" is for me very valuable, and I don't need personal experiences per se.

Again, a crowned surface moves the neutral plane towards to widest surface, not the opposite as stated here.
So a crowned back moves the neutral plane closer to the belly, straining the back even more than with a flat non-crowned back.

Joachim

[BowEd]

RobW.....I've made those sapling bows from hedge too.Just the way they are off the stump.Bend in the handle like Pappy said good snappy bows.Mine have lots and lots of knots on the belly.If thinking about heat to those knots I would'nt do that.As far as reflexing it a lot.Knots are hard enough the way they are.

[Eric Krewson]

Point well taken DarkSoul. I have to admit I have been on a personal quest to get folk to share more actual experiences and nothing based on opinions.

Its' like; which would you rather have for your next surgery, a Dr who had done the same surgery a dozen times or  Dr who had never done the surgery but has strong opinions on how it should be done.

For a newbie who doesn't know a lot about bow making, all this discussion about "neural plane" just muddies the waters for them and makes something simple seem pretty lofty and beyond the scope of their ability.  I want everyone to make a bow who is so inclined, make a bow, tiller it correctly and shoot it, don't worry about the mechanics of the process.

As for osage, I live in osage country and know the wood very well, I have been making bows out of it for 20 years.

I have a little osage put back for future use.







Like I said I know the wood well, neutral plane is not a topic of contention when dealing with osage.

[Springbuck]

Honestly, I put some time into learning about neutral plane, etc... early on, but I don't think about it much in those terms when making bows.  Somehow, I settled into making mostly bows from 5" dia. or smaller trees about 5 years ago, and all I ever think is "what can I get away with here...?"

And the woods I work with the most as saplings: elm, white mulberry, canyon maple, yellow locust, plum, and occasionally hickory, stuff like that, just hasn't had any issues breaking on the back.  I tiller as well as I can, and most of them get heat-treated, too.