reflexed pyramid osage/hickory bow

[radius]

Been at work last couple days on a pyramid osage/hickory bow, which began with about 2" reflex.  It started off with limbs about 5/8 thick, which are now about 5/16 for most of the length, only 3/8 or 7/16 at the fades.  The handle is formed of layered pieces of cherry and walnut.   I'm finding that the grain run out makes for trouble in tillering: hinges and dips which are a pain in the ass to deal with.  I sharpened and rolled my scraper today, and it is awesome for wood removal, but creates a dip at every place the grain runs out, and i have to go over it again with the orbital sander to flatten it out...this ruins the beautiful finish that the scraper leaves...ah well, can't win 'em all.

First are a couple pictures of the stave in reflex, untouched.  This is actually a sister stave, an almost exact copy...because i forgot to take pictures of this one before i started work on it.





An example of the grain runout i have to deal with.  I tried to capture the dips, but i don't think they came out well in the picture.





The nocks and tip overlays





I ended up adjusting these after these pics were taken, filing the grooves into more of a 45...

First brace...yikes!!!



Chasing down the tiller...




Always increasing the brace height when i can, improving the tiller as much as i am able...



This picture is for my buddy El Destructo...



A few shots of the handle's progress...














Going to put in some more time on it tomorrow; should be able to get it into final shape and sand it down before the day is through...

I also have 2 setback/recurve bows which are fully tillered and require only accentuations and final treatment...get those up by the end of the week, i guess.

Thanks

[radius]

Few more shots...i'll get a full draw up here some day soon...

This bow pulls around 45# at 28"...and yet its limbs are only about 1/4 inch thick along their length...maybe 5/16...it's light as a feather...

[david w.]

very nice i will be aiming for something like that

[Gordon]

How do you cut out and radius the arrow shelf?

[radius]

Gordon, I just sketch it in with a pencil, and then hit it with a fine-toothed pullcut saw.  Takes 10 seconds for the initial cut.  Then i make a series of cut about 1/8 " apart, stopping them just short of my sketch line.  break those out with a chisel, clean it up with a chisel.  I use a cabinetmaker's rasp (with a safe edge) for the radius, and when i have the shape i want, i smooth it all out with a combination file (1/2 round). 

[Gordon]

Is your initial cut parallel to the riser or perpendicular like the rest of the cuts?

[radius]

Gordon, none of the cuts are parallel to the riser...they are all "parallel" to the arrow...that is, perpendicular to the riser lams.   The first cut is the deepest cut.  I work my way up the line, cutting roughly every 1/4" or so...random...then the last bit i leave alone and hit with the rasp, file, chisel, sander, sandpaper...