Author Topic: Start of an osage ALB  (Read 24065 times)

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Offline bentstick54

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #30 on: January 29, 2021, 07:29:43 am »
Watching and learning.

Offline Allyn T

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #31 on: January 29, 2021, 08:37:03 am »
Pat do you follow the grain with your front view lines? I'm laying out a bow now and I wasn't sure if I should just measure off center line or follow the split edge because it follows the grain
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Offline Selfbowman

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #32 on: January 29, 2021, 09:24:20 am »
Looking good Pat.
Arvin
Well I'll say!!  Osage is king!!

Offline Pat B

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #33 on: January 29, 2021, 10:05:30 am »
Allyn, with the centering tool the center line follows the grain MOL. Grain lines will always be somewhat violated just by tapering the back profile but overall the bow follows the grain.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Pat B

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #34 on: February 01, 2021, 03:16:07 pm »
I got a little more done today. My basement is cold, in the 40s and standing on the concrete floor gets that cold in my old bones so I limit my time down there.
My initial limb reduction was at 3/4". I check the floor tiller, basically to see if there is any bend. Generally at this thickness there isn't. I then mark out 5/8" along both sides of each limb by first making marks at 5/8" in a couple of locations down the limb and use my fingers and a pencil as a gauge to mark this line along the side of the limb...


you can see the 3/4" line and the 5/8" line here...


and I make sure I follow the ups and downs of the back with this line...


then I use the farriers rasp to reduce the limb using the faceted method like before. You can see the peak down the center...


then I clean up the tool marks with a scraper making sure I round off and center the crown down the belly...


at this point I floor tiller again. This time a little movement but hardly a bend. I'll go down another 1/8" as I did above and check the bend again. At some point I may reduce the width if I think the limbs are getting too thin but still too stiff.

to be continued...
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Tradslinger

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #35 on: February 01, 2021, 05:53:27 pm »
awesome pics, great explaination too. thanks

Offline aja0

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #36 on: February 01, 2021, 06:27:09 pm »
This is great.  I am a beginner and I pay very close attention to this stuff.  Thank you.  btw: I am a little embarrassed but I bought a plastic centering tools before I laid out my first bow.  'Big Horn 19108 center finder'.

Offline Pat B

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #37 on: February 01, 2021, 09:12:12 pm »
Thanks guys. Glad it's a help.
More to come... :OK
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Pappy

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #38 on: February 02, 2021, 05:02:59 pm »
Looking good Pat, coming right along. :)
 Pappy
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Offline Pat B

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #39 on: February 04, 2021, 12:29:15 am »
Today I drew a line along the edges of the limbs at 1/2" and reduced the belly to those lines with a crowned belly.


throughout the tillering process I check the thickness and evenness of the thickness using my hand as a gauge. Amazing how small a difference you can feel with your hands like this. With the concave back this is important to get the thickness even ...


From here I move from the bench vise to the Stave Master by Keenan Howard a former PA member and fabulous selfbow builder from Bend Oregon. This is the best bow tool I ever bought. Keenan has a bad back so he built himself a bow building bench he could comfortably use.It comes with a seat swivel and I bought the plastic boat seat. Nice having the back rest.
The Satve Master is where I do most of the tillering while building a bow.


the front portion swivels...


both directions...


and the "table" at the knucklehead slides forward and back for working different parts of the limb...




Coming up will mostly be done with a scraper. Even at 1/2" thickness with a crowned belly the limbs are too stiff at floor tiller so I will be narrowing this bow from 1 1/2" to 1 3/8". Then the tillering begins...
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline bradsmith2010

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #40 on: February 04, 2021, 12:43:42 am »
really nice set up Pat, the bows looking great,, :)

Offline Pat B

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #41 on: February 04, 2021, 01:34:51 am »
Thanks, Brad. Yep, she's coming along.
 I had planned to not use heat to adjust the stave but now I think I will. I'll remove the prop twist, do a little straightening and add a little reflex. I'll get her down in mass some first though.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline bentstick54

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #42 on: February 04, 2021, 10:12:42 am »
Looking good.

Offline Pat B

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #43 on: February 04, 2021, 02:26:56 pm »
Even at 1/2" thick and 1 1/2" wide the limbs are too stiff, hardly bending at all at floor tiller. So I narrows the limbs to 1 3/8, marking the knots near the edges so I can leave a little width there.



then I reduced the thickness to 7/16" with the farriers rasp. Then I removed the tool marks with the scraper keeping the belly radiused. At this point I decided I'd explain how I use a scraper. If you use the scraper just perpendicular across the limbs it can cause undulations, waves, on the belly


so by alternate the scraper from straight, then cocked to the left


then to the right on alternate scrapes

it helps to take down the crest of these unwanted waves by hitting the high spots created by using the scraper only perpendicularly.

I also found these hanging from the bow bench where I keep them. When my daughter comes to visit she and I stay up late drinking red wine and watching zombie shows on TV like Walking Dead and Fear of Walking Dead. One year for Christmas she gave these to me. Being a hunting forum I thought them appropriate.



more to come...
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Digital Caveman

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Re: Start of an osage ALB
« Reply #44 on: February 04, 2021, 02:43:22 pm »
Great to see an expert's build-along for once :D

How radiused is the belly?

BTW, I love long narrow ALBs.  I'm sure this will turn out beautifully.
God Bless America