Pin knots in osage

[osageknot316]

Hi Everyone,
I wanted to get your opinion on how best to prevent issues with pin knots in osage. I have had to discard several of my osage bows due to horizontal cracking right on the pin knot. Would it be better to leave a couple growth rings right around the knot? Thanks!

[Pat B]

What I do with any knots, pins or otherwise is add a drop of super glue to pins and saturate knots, back and belly. I don't think leaving an island of the previous ring on the back will help and in some cases it might lift a splinter. Keep an eye on the pins and add more glue as needed but otherwise I have no other advise. You should however be sure you haven't violated the ring around the pin.

[osageknot316]

I'll try that next time. Thanks for the help I really appreciate it.

[Hamish]

If you are getting cracks across pin knots you aren't leaving enough wood around them to compensate for the weakness.
Some people ignore them and manage to get away with it. Maybe the bow is a little longer or wider than otherwise ideal, other times its shear luck of the draw.

Never had a bow fail, or degrade due to a knot if the problem was addressed whilst laying out the dimensions, before stock removal.

If the bow at a certain point has a knot, you compensate at that point extra wood around the width, at least to the same dimension as the knot.