Osage character static recurve follow along. ***update page 5

[SLIMBOB]

The subtitle to this should be "Or whatever happens happens".  I did one of these a few years ago and it was a blast for me and I think some others found it interesting, so, here we go.  I want to preface this post with a few words about an observation of mine.  I have been away from this site for about a year.  Few nagging health issues, nothing life threatening but enough to suck the sap out of me for a bit.  I've been back around for a few weeks, and the mood around this place is noticeably....not at it's peak.  I have mentioned this observation to a few others in some pm's back and forth.  I for one won't, can't, accept that as the new "look".  I am not singling anyone out or making a statement as to whether folks might not have a legitimate beef.  I am simply saying that I want to go outside and play.  Have fun.  So, if your interested come on along.  For you newbies, you might learn a little sumpn, sumpn along the way.  No new ground to uncover here but I will cover the basics with lots of pics as I go.  All questions are welcomed and any thoughts or critiques are taken in the spirit friendship.  And...we're off!

In a previous post I mentioned some details about this stave.  Very tough to get a good ring from end to end.  The rings just below the sap wood were paper thin, and in some areas the early wood seemed to just vanish altogether.  This is the first bodark stave I have worked on in some time and I am rusty, but I spent maybe 6 hours chasing a good ring on this bad boy.  I finally went down to a good thick ring half way through the depth of this stave and was able to establish a decent growth ring, end to end.  The stave is 58 inches long, maybe a skosh over.  Not a bad piece of sage at all.  Pretty red streaks throughout the length of it, but the deeper I got the less red there was.  It's just over 2 inches wide.  As mentioned, my working plan is to do a static recurve although this piece is less than ideally suited for that design.  The knots are an issue and as PEARL said the other day, alignment is the almighty killer  on these statics.  I think the alignment will be ok, but the knots are there and who knows how they will hold up. 
I have the bow drawn out.  58 inches tip to tip.  I have a 4 inch handle and the fades are 2 inches each.  I have the width at the fades drawn out as 1 3/4 inches for the next 15 inches.  A slight taper to 1 1/2 inches at that point.  I have the tips roughed in at 3/4 of an inch wide but they will come way down from there.  I am keeping it wide to keep the weight up and hopefully keep it together.  I can narrow it from there if I need to or see that I can.  We shall see.
Started raining so I'm gonna break out the belt sander manana.

[JonW]

That is a very nice looking stave Slim. Hope it makes a killer bow.

[SLIMBOB]

Thanks JonW.  Good to see your still kickin it!

[Knotty]

Very nice! Just started my interest in working with character staves since I've always found that they make beautiful and unique bows.

Looking forward to see how this comes out!

[mikekeswick]

Nothing like a nice recurve
I've found that if you leave the handle full width until it's braced you can eliminate alignment issues by simply shaping the handle to the string. Well as long as you don't have a banana!
Interested to see what you do with this one and somebody else methods.

[BowEd]

With me getting the limbs to be on the same plane as the back of handle helps greatly with tip alignment too.Taking propellers out of both limbs so to speak.After top view layout is cut out I reduce thickness down enough to take all propellers out of limbs with dry heat  before setting recurves into tips.It may not most times seem like an issue in the beginning but the more the tips are set back the discreppency shows up.Just my two cents worth.It works for me.That's why of course a special piece of wood is required for these statics to reduce the work and issues,but I still think yours is plenty good to work.

[SLIMBOB]

Hey Mike.  I would normally do that.  Can't here as the width and depth right thru that area sketchy, so I will keep it centered on the stave as a result.  I think the alignment will be ok.  Not perfect and I will have to tweak it some.  Hey Ed.  A liitle prop twist and I think fixing that will be the first thing I address.  See what it leaves me with.  I will use dry heat and try and get a flat plane along both limbs once it's bending a tad at floor tiller.  I rarely ever use steam but that is what I am thinking on the recurve tips.  I have them marked at 3 1/2 inches.  I will start reducing everything here in a bit.  Thanks for the input guys.

[wizardgoat]

Should be good. Re curves are my favourite bow to build. Alignment issues are pretty easily corrected with the right set up

[SLIMBOB]

Thanks goat.  I don't have caul for this and I don't think I will make one, but I am gonna take a look at what I have alignment wise and figure it out.  I am not a wood worker.  Heck, I am not even a decent carpenter, but I figured out how to get wood to bend without breaking (mostly ) and I can usually figure something out and make it work and that's what I will do here.  Thanks for looking in and I look forward to any input you may have.

[SLIMBOB]

Alright, got a little time in on it this morning.  I drew my centerline following the grain and shaped the sides off of that.  One half of the bow was laid out with a straight edge, the other half I had to chase around all the knots and bends so it was totally free hand.  The handle area looks weird, but I believe it will look very cool once it is done.  I took the belt sander and went to work.  I stayed outside of my lines just to give me a little wiggle room on width. It's a bow blank now.  Lots of meat still needs to come off the belly but I will get it bending in the next session.  In the pic you can see the string track.  One limb is just dead nut perfect, the other not so much.    I think I will flatten out the prop twist and and kinks and then re-address the alignment once I have it bending good at floor tiller.  Any advice from you static guys is appreciated.

[Danzn Bar]

If your left handed ....you could have a center shot bow pretty easy....
DBar

[Badly Bent]

Good to see ya back in the shop Slim. Interesting and attractive piece of osage there, seeing the color and grain on it in the pics I gotta think that one will come alive once a finish goes down. Has to become a bow first though and it seems you have a pretty solid plan on how to proceed. I'm looking forward to following along and watching how you get this one done.

[SLIMBOB]

DBar...I am a lefty...who does most everything right handed, including any kind of shooting.  But I saw the same thing early on.  We'll see how it tracks at the handle once it is a little farther along.
Greg...Thanks man.  I gotta say it feels good to be at it again.  Really pretty piece but just squirrelly.  Not complaining as I am drawn to these pieces.  I know lots of other folks are as well.  Look at Bryce's Yew bow as evidence for that.  The first 6 or 8 bows I made were from straight staves.  That was what I was told to look for.  Clean, straight, laid out completely with a straight edge.  This one will be a bit of a challenge.

[JonW]

Layout looks good. Just remember string tracking may change when you recurve and get it braced. I still think it will work.

[Danzn Bar]

The first 6 or 8 bows I made were from straight staves.  That was what I was told to look for.  Clean, straight, laid out completely with a straight edge.  This one will be a bit of a challenge.

I'm sure it will be a shooter........
DBar