Very thinn rings on Osage stave. Finished Bow!! Sinew Backing, retillered!

[akila]

Hi guys, i just baught an osage stave from ebay, and today it came with the post, and i have to say, im a lilte dissapointed..it has incredibile thinn rings..somewhere in the midle they are so thinn that you can barely noticed animoore wich is what...i have  all most no experience with Osage..just made a bow from Osage one week ago, and this would be the second Bow, that im working at..is there any chance, that a bow would come out in one piece out of something like that?

There is one ring there, that looks a little thicker..its exactly 1millimeter thick or 0,39'' thick, and its all most the last saapwood ring..after him, there are two moore saapwod rings, but they are just pensil line thinn, and thenn commes the first hard wood ring wich is like 0.8mm...under 1mm thinn. In the picture where i hold the stave in an angle, you can see it better where the saapwood stops, etc. What would u advise me to do? I dont really want to back it..if i can get a clean ring on the back, is it safe, to make a bow out of something like that?
Thank you in advance..best regards, Ciprian.
PS...i forgot to say..the stave was quite long so i'v cut a piece, and put in water to see how heavy she is..the piecce of wood is 9,5cm long, and only 1cm, was out from the water.

[ajooter]

That ring about a half inch down from the back looks good.  Shouldn't be too bad to chase.

[Dances with squirrels]

I'd use that first ring under the sapwood. It's pretty decent... relatively speaking. If I exposed it end to end for the bow's back and was confident I didn't violate it at all, I wouldn't back it.

I made a selfbow a consistent 36 rings per inch... AND very snaky... and convex on the back in places. It took a little set, but still shoots.

[Badly Bent]

Not the ideal stave considering the late to early ring ratio but you already have it so give it a go. Many real good bows have been made from thin ringed osage with carefully chased rings. More than likely I would guess there is a bow in that stave, pick one of the thickest rings and back with rawhide if in doubt. Worth a try unless you have other osage and even if you do I wouldn't give up on that one without a try.

[John Scifres]

Not to be a real downer but that is not good.  I have chased rings on several hundred staves and I would have a hard time with that one if it could even be done.  The earlywood:latewood ratio is awful.  About the only thing I can think to do is to do your best chasing a ring and then backing with rawhide.  Make the bow wide and long.

[paulsemp]

 like others have said thin rings aren't the problem, the ratio is the problem with that wood. I agree with Greg and I would plan on backing with rawhide. I made one not too long ago with rings right around the same that you have and it's a great shooter. I think it would survive without the rawhide but sometimes peace of mind is well worth it

[NonBacked]

Just for fun, go ahead and take the bark off and see if there are any other surprises. Working around a bunch of pin knots with super thin rings is usually unsuccessful (great skill level is an exception). If the back is clean, it will be worthwhile to practice scraping and sanding thin rings to improve your skill level, and maybe end up with a shooter.
It’s not going to be like designing average Osage, probably closer to hickory -> S.G. = low 70’s. I definitely think there’s a bow in there; just follow John’s advice and make it wider than normal (possibly 1.75”) and 3” or 4” longer than your last one. Go slow and protect you chosen ring by leaving most of the early growth until you’ve gone end-to-end. Then carefully sand down to the hard stuff.

H

[osage outlaw]

The last few sapwood ring ratio doesn't look to bad.  You might try chasing one of them.  You might as well see what you can get from it.  If nothing else you will get a good lesson on chasing thin rings.  That will help you on future bows.

[TimothyR]

Send it to me...ill take care of it!   

[Mad Max]

I got one from the same place
The rings on one end are mixed together, unchaseable.
going to have to back it .

[okie64]

I would use that thickest sapwood ring for the back. Also you could do a belly split, those rings are much better and if it's at least an inch wide across the back it will make a fine bendy handle.

[lebhuntfish]

I would use that thickest sapwood ring for the back. Also you could do a belly split, those rings are much better and if it's at least an inch wide across the back it will make a fine bendy handle.

My thoughts exactly.
But here is another thought,  now I've never done this but have seen them done. You could make an edge grain bow. If you do it right you could have perfectly perpendicular growth rings down the length of the bow. Just follow the rings and treat the back the same as a chased ring.

Patrick

[Joec123able]

I have a bow I made three years ago from a stave similar to that with tiny growth rings. That bow has held up just fine and been shot thousands of times. Id give it a go without a doubt.

[loefflerchuck]

You would be happy if it were yew. I have heard the thinner the rings the less important it is to chase one exactly. I cut a bunch of osage in Utah and it all looks like this. If I cant find a ring I use sinew

[Badger]

  You might want to chase the ring with a scraper, I have honestly had very good bows come out of thin ringed osage. I used to avoid it but now I enjoy the lower prices I can get it for on e ebay. I don't hesitate to buy thin ringed osage anymore