10 years later... my Osage is ready.

[Hamish]

 I know exactly what you mean with those shallow parts, not uncommon with split osage.
What maximum width can you safely get out of this stave? Where abouts is the narrow, problem area?
 For a 50lber, 64" long I like 1.5" wide, though you could go a little narrower say 1&3/8" and get away with it, without too much stringfollow.

[lenador]

I know exactly what you mean with those shallow parts, not uncommon with split osage.
What maximum width can you safely get out of this stave? Where abouts is the narrow, problem area?
 For a 50lber, 64" long I like 1.5" wide, though you could go a little narrower say 1&3/8" and get away with it, without too much stringfollow.

I measured It this morning and as long as I don't got to deep into the rings I'm pretty much no shallower than 1.5". The narrowest spot is just under 1.5... maybe 1.4 but that's 16" from where my nick would be so I might be able to taper there. I will try to get it down to a ring these next few days and get a look at it.

[Pat B]

Osage can handle a width of 1 1/4" or more without problems. I'd suggest make it as wide as you can and keep the limbs true to the design.

[lenador]

Osage can handle a width of 1 1/4" or more without problems. I'd suggest make it as wide as you can and keep the limbs true to the design.

Now that I've skimmed down to wood do you think it makes sense to sort of take the sharp edges on the sides and belly to start to develope a more square profile? I feel like I need to do that to devlope a bit of a vision of the bow, then chase the ring and draw it out and shape.

[Pat B]

A rectangular profile with a slightly rounded belly works well with osage. You want no sharp edges so be sure to round off all edges before straining the bow while tillering. You may not be able to achieve the design you intended but go with a design best suited for the stave as it stands.

[lenador]

(scratches chin for hours)
Well I just dig in and it's really thin in those spots once I tried to square the sides of until I had. Enough thickness. At 66" tmand a 18" taper from 3/8 to 1.5 it's not going to work. I don't think going down to a 1.25 width is going to make enough difference to matter either. I think my options are either go bendy handle and taper from tip to center and see if that fits or I can go to a 56" bow.
One thing I'm not understanding why this one spot won't peel off clean. It's has about of a tightly woven divers there and that's what sort of screwed this one side.

[lenador]

Further thoughts from the work day. I can either make a shorter bow for my daughter... she doesn't shoot but maybe this would get her interested. The other option is really pushing it as a narrow bow and see what happens.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Make it as narrow as needed to make your 66" bow. The thickness will make up for that. Osage is VERY forgiving compared to any other wood in terms of width/depth ratio.

[lenador]

Make it as narrow as needed to make your 66" bow. The thickness will make up for that. Osage is VERY forgiving compared to any other wood in terms of width/depth ratio.

Well that makes me feel better about it. That's sort of why I started this project because I knew it wasn't going to be cut and dry and there would be some decisions made about design. Sort of an exercise.

[Muskyman]

Looking good to me so far. Hope your stave works out for you. I saw Clay Hayes using a template like the one in your picture. Did you make it or can you buy something like that?

[lenador]

Looking good to me so far. Hope your stave works out for you. I saw Clay Hayes using a template like the one in your picture. Did you make it or can you buy something like that?

Yeah I copied that same technique. Too smart to pass that up. I made mine by traping two pieces of card stock together. Marking a center and marketing the taper over the distance I wanted. Then I marked and punched holes every inch using a price of rubber mat under it and a flux brush flipped upside down.

[Hamish]

Does that template allow you to layout along a snakey/wavy centreline, because It looks like a regular template that you might use for a straight grained stave???
For wavy staves I usually just draw the limb shape I want on a sheet of thin mdf, or scrap of plywood. It has a centreline, and lines perpendicular every inch.
I mark out along the wavy centreline of the stave in inches, then rule perpendicular lines every inch, to match the drawing. Then I transfer the measurements from the drawing onto the stave with a pair of dividers. Hey presto ...an accurate layout on a wavy stave.

[lenador]

Does that template allow you to layout along a snakey/wavy centreline, because It looks like a regular template that you might use for a straight grained stave???
For wavy staves I usually just draw the limb shape I want on a sheet of thin mdf, or scrap of plywood. It has a centreline, and lines perpendicular every inch.
I mark out along the wavy centreline of the stave in inches, then rule perpendicular lines every inch, to match the drawing. Then I transfer the measurements from the drawing onto the stave with a pair of dividers. Hey presto ...an accurate layout on a wavy stave.

This sounds sort of similar. It is a straight price if template and could be used on a regular stage but it has a centerline and holes punches every 1" so you can see through the template aligning it with the center  as you work down. Picked it up from watching Clay Hayes make a snakey bow

[lenador]

No pictures that would show much today but I did take it down to 1" of width. Everything was perfect until right at the end I should have stopped but I had a bit split off the top. I think I can make do though.
 I also traced out my tapers. 3/8 to 1" over 18" and I traced out my handle at 4" with 3" tapers to w thick ess of 3/4 as a preliminary. Plan to leave a good crown on the belly.

[lenador]

Well as I worded my way down to the size on the width and thickness I realized I made some mistakes.... or learned some lessons I should say.
1. Is I should have taken more care recognizing the grain because this is the main reason I kept taking deep chunks out of the sides. I misinterpreted the grain and I'm not sure if the bow will like that's.

2. I took most of the width out of one side of the bow rather than splitting difference and side the stave was so skinny from the start I have drying checks on one side of the bow.


Additional to those I also found a check in the belly. At this point I'm. Going to finish it how er it comes out. So far it's been a good learning tool.