Kinky knot

[darknite]

Kinky knot

I’m a relatively inexperienced bowyer, having completed 2 hickory and 2 osage bows. While I wanted to try a character bow this time around, this osage stave is pushing my skillset. How do I manage this kinky limb/knot? Have I already ruined it?

[George Tsoukalas]

That's a tough one.
I guess I'd tiller it out to bend but not as much as there rest of the limb.
An experienced bowyer may be able to pull it off.
Jawge

[PEARL DRUMS]

I would get it floor tillered and bending nicely, get out the heat gun and flatten it out, then finish tiller. There appears to be about a 1/2" of solid wood under it, I doubt the limb will be that thick out that far.

[Pat B]

How wide are the limbs? You may be able to eliminate it by reducing the width. How long is the stave?

  I meant to say width up above.                                                              ^

[TimBo]

Could you post a photo of the back at that point?  It looks like there may be several pin knots there. 

[darknite]

I designed bow to be 66”ntn, 4” handle, 2” fades, 1¾” wide at fades out to 20”, tapering 9” to ½” nocks. The center pt of the knot is 16¼” from the end of the fade, so it’s 1¾” wide. I’d like a 60lb draw at 27”, with flipped tips (that may fall by the wayside, in view of this problem).

[darknite]

The closest pin knot on the back is 1.5" away, towards the tip. There are about a dozen pin knots overall, on the back. I think I've done a good job on the back, working the better part of 4 days to chase the ring.

[Eric Krewson]

I never had a problem with pins on the edge, most of my bows have them. it may be a problem when you try to heat the limb and take the kink out, thes places want to crack when exposed to localized straightening pressure.

[sleek]

You have to leave it thicker there because deflexed areas have leverage advantage over them when being bent. So being thicker keeps them bednding the same as the straight parts of the limb. Id just leave it as it is, make it bend just a touch and build the bow. I have straightened them in the past, but they typically crack on me when I try, so, I leave em be.

[bjrogg]

Assuming you already have a ring chased and a clean back. I would get it to floor tiler reducing the thickness and round off the edges of the belly in a d profile. Then I would steam it good and bend in my recurves and work my way through that area at the same time on my caul with dry heat if I had to. If it doesn’t want to go don’t push it to much.

If you don’t want to remove the kink you can just tiller it as it is. Remember though that a area that’s deflex will look like it’s bending even when it isn’t. A area that reflexes will look stiff even though it might be bending.

[Gordon]

Just tiller it as is and it will be fine.

[BowEd]

Out on the limb that close to the tip I doubt you ruined anything.Stress is less out there.If you flatten it take care not to inflicked any damage to surface of back while pressing.I use thick leather or soft like wood like cedar.
Many bows survive well like that.

[TimBo]

My vote is to leave it.  By the time you work it down a bit (which would make flattening it easier), it will probably look a lot different, and you may get past the problem.