Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Pappy on March 17, 2010, 07:00:30 am

Title: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Pappy on March 17, 2010, 07:00:30 am
Gary made it down Monday night and Tuesday we went to work on the backwards Osage bows,
They worked out great,These were split from a small Osage tree,right down the pith.Then just flattened out with a rasp.now ring chased on the back.The bark/sap wood side is the belly.They have 3 layers of sinew but I think it could be done without doing that.It is kind of like a decrowned stave.
Here are some pictures of the bows.We both still new to do the finish work but they both shoot great and have been shot in.Gary's was 66 n-n and started with 1 1/2 inch of reflex and wound up with about 1/2 in.right after unstringing mine started with 1 inch of reflex and flat right after shooting.Both recover almost all of the reflex after a little rest time. This is just another option
for small Osage that you don't want to glue a handle section on. :) Gary's finished 55@ 27 and mine 53@26. I also fliped the tips on mine,learned that you can still heat one if you go slow and easy with sinew on.

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Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Pappy on March 17, 2010, 07:02:58 am
A few more of shooting them.I will get back when we get the skins on and the rest of the finish work done. :)
   Pappy

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Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Del the cat on March 17, 2010, 07:37:16 am
Lookin' good
Del
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: DanaM on March 17, 2010, 08:19:19 am
Cool bows Pappy, looks like you and Gary spent some quality time together :)
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Ryano on March 17, 2010, 12:02:43 pm
Cool little bows Pappy.  ;D
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: crooketarrow on March 17, 2010, 01:01:21 pm
   Looks really good.
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Dave 55 on March 17, 2010, 01:07:39 pm
Really nice lookin bows Pappy and what an interesting way to go about it,its going to be a good while before I have the skills to pull something like that off. :)
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Bullitt on March 17, 2010, 02:43:46 pm
Good to see the Old guys out there shootin, nice bows as always! ;D

It's still  funny seeing Gary wearing bibs!

Good shootin, and Happy St. Patricks,

Steve
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Pennhawk on March 17, 2010, 04:39:32 pm
Nice job pappy, Good looking bows. Good for you guys doing something different.
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Mark Anderson on March 17, 2010, 04:54:57 pm
Those are cool! Great job I really never thought you could do it that way. I'm always learning and that's part of what makes it so fun.
Mark
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: El Destructo on March 17, 2010, 05:10:47 pm
They look great Pappy....now We can even make Bows from the Limbs we used to burn.....  ;D
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: venisonburger on March 17, 2010, 05:29:04 pm
Lookin good Pappy, you guys finished them up pretty quick
VB
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: ricktrojanowski on March 17, 2010, 10:50:08 pm
Very cool, thanks for sharing this.  Did you say that you flipped the tips with the bow already backed with sinew?  What kind of glue did you use, and how slow did you go?  That is really interesting.  I'm working on a sinew backed osage and might want to flip the tips post sinew.
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: bowkee on March 17, 2010, 10:55:18 pm
You Guys sure do that Osage right :) Phillip
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: nclonghunter on March 17, 2010, 11:40:30 pm
Those are some very interesting bows. I'm a fan of the decrowned bows and those are great. I would have liked to seen the results without the backing added. Well done.
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: jeff halfrack on March 17, 2010, 11:50:53 pm
  nice  bows  guys!!!  this  is  off  the  point,but  the  man  with out  the  beard ,  I met  you  at  hawkeye this  past  summer  you  gave  me  some  pointers  on  my  black  locust  self  bow,  I  want  to  thank  him  the  bow  shoots  great!!!!  I  have  to  hide  it  from  my  buddys!!!!!!!!!!   I  hope  to  go  back  to  hawkeye  again  this  summer!  and  would  like  to  sit  in  a  class  and  maybe  make  an  ossage  bow too   thanks  so  much  !!!!!!  JEFF W
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: George Tsoukalas on March 17, 2010, 11:57:07 pm
Good looking bows there, Pappy. Jawge
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Pappy on March 18, 2010, 06:53:48 am
Thanks guys,it was fun,ya VB we work pretty fast with no distractions.Rick it was hide glue,You just hold the heat gun about 8/10 inches and heat slow,it took about 10 minutes to get it hot enough to bend. Bullitt he always wears bibs when he is in TN. ;) ;D ;D that's about all I wear when I am away from work. Jeff that was Gary Davis and he always goes to Hawkeye and yes he is a wealth of knowledge and more than willing to share.I never really sat down and built a bow with him but have learned a lot from him over the years,That was one reason we wanted to do this ,to see our different styles.Not a lot of differences in how we go about it just a little difference in the tools we use and how we use them. Some people think the way they do it is the only way/or the best way but we have figured out there is more than one way to skin a cat,no real right or wrong way,Just different ways.What ever works for you is the right way. :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Little John on March 18, 2010, 09:35:32 am
Congrats Pappy, glad you got to spend time and work with Gary. Very novel bows. I made one decrowned bow from a small osage pole, never thought of doing it like you did. I like the look of the bark on the handle. Thanks for shareing.      Kenneth
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: medicinewheel on March 18, 2010, 09:56:51 am
These are two really nice bows, really great tiller profiles!
Wouldn't expect less from to master bowyers like you guys are...
Is that really bark at the handle??
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Pappy on March 18, 2010, 10:55:48 am
Yes that is bark on mine,Gary's handle was sap wood,he had to take the bark off the size it down.Thanks. :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: hedgeapple on March 18, 2010, 12:45:22 pm
A termanology guestion:  When you say decrown are you talking about flattening the back of the bow or making it concaved?  Pappy in chasing the growth ring on the inside of the tree, did the back of the bow turn out slightly concaved?
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Badger on March 18, 2010, 02:44:20 pm
Good work, I had the pleasure of meeting gary and watching him work at Mojam one year. he really knows his stuff. Fine gentleman as well. Steve
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Aries on March 18, 2010, 02:48:47 pm
that is pretty excelent! i never knew sage sap wood was good for anything! Ty
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Pappy on March 19, 2010, 06:13:06 am
hedge, making it flat,someone can probably explane it better than me,but basically you take the crown off and you will have the longitudinal grain running the length of the bow,kind of like a board.The back was concaved a little right where the pith was in the center .Even tho these had sinew on them I think it can be done without sinew. :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: hedgeapple on March 20, 2010, 10:32:52 am
Thanks, Pappy,  I have a couple smaller sappling staves.  I was thinking about sanding them flat and backing them with hickory, but they're slight snaky.  So, it would be nearly impossible keep from having run-offs with the hickory backing.  UNLESS, I spent alot of time straightening the osage sappling stave.  The process you did might just be my answer.

I love the bark on the handle of your bow.  Cool touch.
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Pappy on November 16, 2011, 01:37:14 pm
Here ya go,found it.
   Pappy
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: sadiejane on November 16, 2011, 02:01:43 pm
thanks pappy! yr my hero today!
gonna print this off along with the other thread and take to class.
shld provide some good discussion fodder...
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: dragonman on November 16, 2011, 03:51:44 pm
nice looking bows, was that you're own idea or do others do it this way? its good to see original thinking.... theres always many ways to do things ,its not good to get stuck in one way, thanks

Dave

Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Ifrit617 on November 16, 2011, 05:56:39 pm
Cool Pappy.. Really like those two sticks!
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: swamp yeti on November 16, 2011, 08:12:45 pm
Really nice looking bows.Like the bark on the handle.
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Badger on November 16, 2011, 10:48:28 pm
  Great looking bows made by two good men! Both of you are doing a lot for primitive archery.
Title: Re: Backwards Osage [shooting]
Post by: Pappy on November 17, 2011, 07:18:56 am
Thanks Badger back at ya  :-[:) :), dragonman it was a joint idea but I am very very sure we weren't the first,we were just trying to find a way to use small diameter Osage and not have to leave the sap wood on.This way you can split it down the middle and chase a ring from the inside.A lot of times if yo chase from the outside of a small tree by the time you get the sap wood off you don't have enough left for the bow. :) :)
   Pappy