Osage Bow Follow Along

[Aaron1726]

This is awesome, thanks for sharing.  I'm excited to see how it turns out.

[Muskyman]

That’s quite the knot in that stave. I seem to remember cutting the top off a stave like that and keeping the better part for a billet. Never thought of trying to make a bow with it   Watching with much interest Bob, thanks for posting this.

[SLIMBOB]

Yes sir, quite the knot. When I first began this adventure, I was looking for clean, knot free staves. Now, I like the more character rich staves. To a point 🙂. Thanks Muskyman.

[SLIMBOB]

  On to the next step.  I will take wood off the belly with a belt sander, until she starts to bend on the floor.  I turn the belt sander upside down and lock it into my work bench.  I can be pretty precise with what comes off, and from where.  It is starting to flex for me now and feels pretty balanced.  I will put the belt sander away for the rest of the build and transition to my drawknife.  But first, I am going to flip the tips and add a bit of backset in the handle.  I was at first going to deflex the handle and do an R/D, but my last 3 or 4 have been R/D's.  I am sold on them really, but at the very last moment, I decided to change it up a bit on this one. Shooting for around 4 inches of reflex.  Dry heat, no oil.  Bent like a champ!
I will let it cool before I remove the clamps.  I will get a long string on it in the next post.  I don't use the long string for more than just checking the symmetry between the limbs, and a general idea of what the bend looks like on each limb.  More on that in our next exciting episode.   

Edit, that should read, get a short string on it in the next post.

[Selfbowman]

Interesting build for sure. Looking good.

[SLIMBOB]

Good morning Arvin.  Yes sir, it has been interesting.  I'm checking out frequently, The Hickory bow your working on.  Looks like it could be a screamer when your done.

[bentstick54]

Bob, how thick and wide is the handle section, and how much backseat did you achieve? I have not had much luck on my Osage to get that much movement in the handle section.

[SLIMBOB]

The handle right now is approx 1 inch X 1.75 inch. (Or  close). I don’t know what the backset alone is. I figure about an inch give or take. It doesn’t take much movement in the handle to project that out at the tips. Figure that I am bending the area over the 5 inch handle and 4 inches of fades, so 9 inches. If you got  1/8” movement over that area, it will project out to about an inch on this length (or so my non mathematical brain figures).

[bentstick54]

Thanks Bob. Maybe I just need to get a little more aggressive with the heat when trying to get the handle area to move. Fades out are not much of a problem.

[superdav95]

Ya Osage is great stuff.  Love that you can heat bend it dry like that for the most part.  Pretty tough.  Looking good.   Is this gonna be a molle style bow.  Those tips look a bit like a mollegabet in the one pic of you floor bending the limbs. 

[SLIMBOB]

Hey superdav.  Yes sir, it will have a lever type tiller. The last 10 inches or so will be semi stiff. I am setting out to prove, once and for all, that Osage is King. With the wonky knot and nasty divot, can it be tillered with 4 inches of reflex, which includes the backset, and semi lever type tips?  I think so. 😎

[superdav95]

That’s gonna be saweeet!  I’ve made a number of molles with white woods and they are great bows.  Can’t imagine Osage won’t make a screamer. 

[SLIMBOB]

…or it breaks in half, and I own both halves.

[Will B]

Looks really good SlimBob. The photos are really informative. Thanks for taking time to post this build. Good luck the rest of the way

[SLIMBOB]

Thanks Will.