Osage Board Bow

[SanJoseClay]

[/Hi, Guys-
My name’s Clay and I’m a one year lurker and new bowyer but an old man-86 in September. I’m not a hunter- one of those neglected city boys- but I’ve built everything from sailboats to Spanish guitars. After Year One of the Pandemic, I ran out of projects, having just finished a scratch-built model of a Viking coastal vessel of c. 1010, and I went to the Web to look for something new and, lo and behold, I found bow building and was immediately hooked.
As most newbies do, I went to the Web, and especially to YouTube, and read and watched everything I could find. I decided on the generic American Flatbow as my first project, hickory-backed hickory, built a tillering tree and got help on Dan Santana’s Redditt sub and it turned out well- (the bow, not my life on Reddit, but that’s another story!) - 63” and 25# @27”. My second attempt was a hinged-to-death hickory on hickory reflex/deflex, which I successfully re-did as an unhinged sweet-shooting 30#-er.
So, for third bow I’ve got a very nice osage orange BOARD, 1x2 x 72” and a 1/8”hickory backing. Need help in deciding what kind of bow to build- thinking about a Perry reflex, a bit shorter in length. I am comfortable with plastic bag steaming.
For Bow Number Four, should I last that long, I’ve already got a very nice six foot osage stave so I can become a certified ring chaser.
Your help and advice would be welcomed!
 
San Jose Clay

[George Tsoukalas]

I've never used an osage board and I've never backed a wooden bow with wood but I've made lots of bows and maybe my site will help you.
Jawge

http://traditionalarchery101.com

[SanJoseClay]

Thanks, Jawge- I’ve already been to your site several times. Great resource!
Clay

[bradsmith2010]

do the osage stave,,

[bassman211]

With hickory backed Osage you could make about any design you like.  Last bow I made with that wood combo was a Siyah bow.  68 inches long. 40 lbs. I would do the glue up with AD-40 Smooth On. That should make you a very nice bow, and tough as nails. Good building.

[Pat B]

 Welcome to PA, Clay. You are not the only "mature" guy here. I'll be 72 at the end of this month.
I've built quite a few hickory backed ALBs from many different belly woods. Hickory backed osage is one of my favorites.  63" to 66" long
1 3/8" to 1 5/8" at the fades and out 6"(or so) before a straight taper to 3/4" tips for now. The tips will be reduced to 3/8" after first brace. If there is any misalignment while braced you can move the limb over within the wider tips to get the string to track properly. Also, leave the handle area full with until after first brace for the same reason.
 Another option would be a pyramid style with a straight taper from the fades out.
 I use pieces of 2x4 for blocks to add Perry reflex. Put the tips on the blocks and draw the handle to the table(or form) at glue up. Much more reflex than that can be counter productive.
 Good luck and don't forget the pics and any questions you may have.

[mullet]

Welcome, Clay. Dang Pat, you are getting old. By putting the Perry reflex in at glue up there will be no need for steaming also.

[Eric Krewson]

I would lean towards a bamboo backed osage bow, much better than a hickory backed bow. Glue up with three inches of reflex and you will end up with straight or 1" of reflex after shooting the bow in. I have made over 50 bamboo backed osage bows, even though I made them with staves and billets after I flattened the back these were essentially a board bow.

[gutpile]

do yourself and the osage board a HUGE favor and get the DVD hunting the bamboo backed bow by Dean Torges.. it will help you make an exceptional bow out of the board..

[scp]

For the third bow, especially at your draw weight, there is probably no need to back the osage orange board. Just build an American longbow that is rather flat and learn to tiller perfectly. It would be a pleasure to shoot. I usually start at 72 inch long, then by and by get to 66 or 64 inch long with almost stiff handle. You cannot go wrong if you just use scrapers with long strokes. Unfortunately it will take just a couple of hours. But you can fine tune it for hours or even days, if you want.

[SanJoseClay]

Thanks for all the info, gents; now I’m really confused! No- I guess I’m just about to be more thoughtful. Three Rivers recommended a backing for their osage, which is supplied as a quartersawn board rather than a stave, hence the recommendation for backing. I can see that with my Old Man draw weight, I no doubt could get away with the unbacked board, but if there is more workshop work to be done, I will always go that route, as, much as I hate to admit it, it’s always more the process than product for me. The fun is in the workshop. ( As you might imagine, I’m a lousy archer!...yes, I have taken a couple of lessons!)
     In fact, I’m actually leaning towards sawing out and floor tillering the the osage board, steam-bending it using a long plastic bag and the household steamer machine, then bending it over a simple jig into a deflex-reflex shape, then, when dry, gluing and clamping the 1/8” backing to it, still using the same jig.
     If that all works, then I’ll add a power lam and the handle. If it doesn’t work, I’ll probably try and find the source of the problem and re-try the corrected process. If  it does work, I’ll wait a decent interval and then go chase a ring!
 
Thanks for all the help.
Stubborn Old Clay in the Workshop

[scp]

I almost always make my board bows as if they will be backed by bamboo strips. That way I get to make 20 pound bows while I have the option of turning them into 40 to 50 pounders If I want. Nowadays, I prefer to shoot 25 to 35 pounders indoors.

[bradsmith2010]

good advise is seldom taken  ,, Voltaire,, I think,,
if your having fun steaming and backing ok,, but the stave will have so much less to go wrong or fail,,,and osage makes a great self bow,, my favorite,,,, Less is more,,
so I stand by my suggestion to use the stave,,
   I will add,, if you like to make things more complicated,, bows are great for that, you can make it as
complicated as you need to feel a sense of accomplishment

[SanJoseClay]

I totally agree with you Brad, both about Voltaire and perhaps needless complexity. I DO have an Osage stave in addition to the Osage board, and if I ever complete Bow 3, I will go on to chasing a ring in a self bow. Not ready to do that yet.

You sound like both a excellent bowyer and a pretty good philosopher- at least you've got me nailed!

[bradsmith2010]

enjoy the process,,