Am I in over my head? PIC HEAVY ***progress update ***

[Will B]

That’s a great looking osage bow. I finish my bows with 6-8 coats of Tru-oil followed with a final coat of spar-urethane to knock the sheen off the bow. Good luck with it this fall!

[Kidder]

I've used tru-oil for ever. I just bought a can of spar varnish and it's a little easier, or at least quicker. Both work great for me.

Thank you! Was thinking truoil but was worried about the sheen. I think have some spare varnish I could use

To get get of the sheen buff it with a mix of olive oil and pumice powder. Creates a beautiful finish with low sheen.

[crumrw]

Got the handle and tips shaped. Will share some draw pics shortly!

I suppose it’s about time to start thinking about arrows. Here’s a run down of where I’m at.  I cut a few crepe Myrtle shafts out of the front yard about a month ago. I also picked up a handful of tomato stakes. I did notice one of the crepe Myrtle shafts was quite brittle as I was straightening it and I kept breaking it shorter and shorter. That particular shaft also has trouble staying straight for very long. My biggest concern is testing the spine.  I don’t have a spine tester. Is there a good method for tuning arrows without one? Another consideration that makes this even more difficult is my arrow heads all weigh slightly different. Would love to get opinions on next steps.

Thank you for all the continued help in this journey!

[Fox]

Boy your first bow looks better than my 50th     

I can't wait to see it finished

[bownarra]

Got the handle and tips shaped. Will share some draw pics shortly!

I suppose it’s about time to start thinking about arrows. Here’s a run down of where I’m at.  I cut a few crepe Myrtle shafts out of the front yard about a month ago. I also picked up a handful of tomato stakes. I did notice one of the crepe Myrtle shafts was quite brittle as I was straightening it and I kept breaking it shorter and shorter. That particular shaft also has trouble staying straight for very long. My biggest concern is testing the spine.  I don’t have a spine tester. Is there a good method for tuning arrows without one? Another consideration that makes this even more difficult is my arrow heads all weigh slightly different. Would love to get opinions on next steps.

Thank you for all the continued help in this journey!

Buy some proper matched shafts to get you in the ballpark first. Once you have a known arrow that shoots well there are ways to match it.

[crumrw]

Buy some proper matched shafts to get you in the ballpark first. Once you have a known arrow that shoots well there are ways to match it.

Was thinking about this. I have a few carbon arrows in a similar spine i can test with.  Good suggestion.

[crumrw]

Boy your first bow looks better than my 50th     

I can't wait to see it finished

Thanks for the kind words. It ain’ta bow though until it flings an arrow, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

[Fox]

Boy your first bow looks better than my 50th     

I can't wait to see it finished

Thanks for the kind words. It ain’ta bow though until it flings an arrow, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

Fingers crossed 

[crumrw]

Here is a draw pic

[Pat B]

Bingo!!!   

[bentstick54]

Full draw looks great, especially with the stave you started with. Hopefully it will hold together for a long time to make you a durable hunting bow.

[Eric Krewson]

Getting that good of a tiller on that wonky lower limb shows you do really good work.

[crumrw]

Thank y’all for the kind words!

When I was splitting this log over 10 years ago, I had the back of my axe head explode on me with a hammer strike sending two pieces of metal about the size of a .22 bullet into my right leg. An emergency room visit, and a talk with an orthopedic surgeon led to emergency surgery to remove both pieces due to risk of nerve damage to my ankle and lower leg. I took this build slow for several reasons, but one big reason was I that I felt this wood OWED me a bow, lol.

[Fox]

Thank y’all for the kind words!

When I was splitting this log over 10 years ago, I had the back of my axe head explode on me with a hammer strike sending two pieces of metal about the size of a .22 bullet into my right leg. An emergency room visit, and a talk with an orthopedic surgeon led to emergency surgery to remove both pieces due to risk of nerve damage to my ankle and lower leg. I took this build slow for several reasons, but one big reason was I that I felt this wood OWED me a bow, lol.

My goodness what a story! Seems like the wood produced you a bow

[Deerhunter21]

Thank y’all for the kind words!

When I was splitting this log over 10 years ago, I had the back of my axe head explode on me with a hammer strike sending two pieces of metal about the size of a .22 bullet into my right leg. An emergency room visit, and a talk with an orthopedic surgeon led to emergency surgery to remove both pieces due to risk of nerve damage to my ankle and lower leg. I took this build slow for several reasons, but one big reason was I that I felt this wood OWED me a bow, lol.

dang! that wood definitely payed you back in full! its a great looking bow