Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: ohiocountryboy on March 20, 2014, 03:10:55 am
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Ok so far ive neen pretty successful with the white woods but failed everytime with osage, i have a vision issue that makes chasing that growth ring nearly impossible, i just moved into a new house and finally get to build my own workshop deticated to bow building and flintknapping. I have one osage stave left and im feeling lucky..
Its 57" long. I need as much help as yall can give me
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Sorry having hard time with pics photobucket isn't working for me
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I tend to use tinypic but any photo hosting site will work.
I would advise getting more than adequate lighting for your shop, and ideally lighting with the highest color rendering index you can find or just work outside on a clear day. It'll make colors appear more distinct from one another, which should help chasing a ring. The early and latewood will be different textures, in the process of getting to that ring you want, feel them in your hands and your scraper as you scrape down to the one you want.
Maybe try working with the thickest ringed osage you can obtain. Chasing a thick ring will be easier than chasing a thin one any way you look at it. If not confident with your job on it, back it with something like bamboo, hickory, white oak, rawhide/sinew if you live somewhere fairly dry. A self bow is nice, but I would rather end up with a nice laminated/composite bow than a broken self bow any day of the week.
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U can rub chalk line chalk as u walk the ring up and the pithy part will turn blue, high lighting the pithy wood
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I have a similar problem. Can only chase rings with natural light so I do most all of my work outdoors. Glad I had plenty of staves ready this year because we had a long cold Winter.
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It is amazing how natural light makes chasing a ring easier. I have really good eyes and still struggle with artificial light in my shop.
Patrick
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From one blind man to another ( not really but not far from it either)
Learn to use your other senses to make up the difference
Let that Osage dry down some more and it will sing to you
Run your fingers over it and you will see more of what it is trying to tell you
The crunch of that honey comb will sing for you and if you leave most of it behind it will be easy to feel the difference
then once again the sound changes as you scrap the crunchy stuff off and your scraper becomes silent as it disappears !
Sit back and enjoy the song
Have fun
Guy
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Yep, outside lighting is the way to go - if you are holding it so you are sighting from end to end and find just the right angle of light, it should be obvious. Feel and sound are important too. Good luck!
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Incandescent lighting works way better than fluorescent lighting. Have your work between you and the light source. Direct, natural light works best though. Like Buckeye Guy said let your other senses work for you. With osage especially you can hear the difference between the honey comb like early ring and the harder late ring.
57" is pretty short so I'd suggest you make a bendy handle bow.
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U can rub chalk line chalk as u walk the ring up and the pithy part will turn blue, high lighting the pithy wood
Absolutely brilliant! Why didn't I think of that???
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What part of Ohio are you in?
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U can rub chalk line chalk as u walk the ring up and the pithy part will turn blue, high lighting the pithy wood
Absolutely brilliant! Why didn't I think of that???
JW, that guy is thinking all the time. :o
DBar
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I wouldn't go that far
U can rub chalk line chalk as u walk the ring up and the pithy part will turn blue, high lighting the pithy wood
Absolutely brilliant! Why didn't I think of that???
JW, that guy is thinking all the time. :o
DBar
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(http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o753/miketoth1989/IMG_20140320_011209_zpseb5e7b2a.jpg)
(http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o753/miketoth1989/IMG_20140320_011048_zpsb9d2c856.jpg)
(http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o753/miketoth1989/IMG_20140320_011001_zpsddc5e9b2.jpg)
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Very southwestern corner between Cincinnati and lawrenceburg indiana
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How long has thatstave been cut and drying with the bark and sapwood still on it?
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Not long cut in the fall last year
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I hate to say it, but if the wood is as twisted as the bark would suggest....your chances with this piece surviving to full draw aren't real good. I truly hope its a trick of the lighting or camera angle that is making it look worse than it is. Josh
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Yep. Looks like your grain my run out just past the handle if the bark is tellin' the story here. I'd chase a ring and see. If it runs out you got problemos. Hope I'm just dead wrong.
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The bark is normally a pretty good indicator but not always! Was it split or cut? If after taking the bark off you find the grain does run out in the fades close to handle area you may be able to cut it in half, turn them around, splice billets and heat straighten the tip ends.
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I've broken bows that looked great until the pieces rained down around me, and I've scratched my head at wood which held together against all odds. You can take precautions with that wood - backing, wide limbs, short draw, low draw weight. Or you can just make it and if it breaks or not, yer learning! Just decide that you'll be satisfied no matter what happens.. guaranteed success.
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I'd be concerned with the wood having checks in it if the sap and bark have been on that long. You really need to remove the bark and sap as soon as possible after cutting and splitting and seal it up. The bark does look like it runs out but bark can lie.
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Split out. Could it be saved if i use heat to line everything up once its shaved down?
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If it was split out then the bark is misrepresenting the grain. It happens that way sometimes. You should be fine in that case. If you need to correct it you can use heat, but....if you just cut it last fall its not dry. If you try to use dry heat on wet wood, it will split wide open. My recommendation would be to chase a ring and immediately seal the back up before it checks. Then put it up for a month more to finish drying. After you seal the back, you could rough it out and get it to floor tiller which would help it dry faster. In that case, a month would be adequate. If you leave it in bigger dimensions, give it several months. Josh
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Ok so i officially give up on osage chasing the ring that is,i used every vision aid / lighting set up in my possession its just not ment for me. Which really sucks cause i really like osage, if anyone has an osage stave with a ring chased that even i might be able to complete please message me so we could work something out i know its cheating but i dont care anymore lol
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I didnt get 2" down the back lol i just split fhe sapwood off, my hopes are with some heat bending and a good backing i might have a chance
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Stay with ohiocountryboy! I hated ring chasing and still get frustrated with it from time to time. It will click for you eventually. Just keep at it - the juice is worth the squeeze.
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(http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o753/miketoth1989/IMG_20140325_175345_zps28b325a1.jpg)
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I can't really tell what the grain is doing further down, but from this end it looks like good bow wood to me. If you can watch an experienced bowyer chase a ring it will be a big help. Read the Traditional Bow Builder's Bible on ring chasing and then armed with that info proceed with your drawknife and scrapers. I have to get into a zen like ring chasing mood to even try to fool with it. If my mind and mood aren't right, I don't try to chase rings that day. It takes concentration. If you are distracted and in a hurry, you can sure mess one up quick. Those rings look good to me. Before you spend any time on that though, pick you a spot in the middle of that stave and draw yourself a line following the flow of the grain from one end to the other. If you have enough wood on either side of that line to make a bow, then layout your side profile lines always following the grain. If you need to straighten it up, you can do that later on down the road. Like was suggested earlier, once you chase your ring seal the back so it won't check on you. I like spray shellac for that. Keep us posted on how it goes.
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I have noticed that it is a bit tougher to really get a good clean ring chased on green osage. Sometimes likes to gouge and such. I like to get it to roughly first ring past the sap wood and seal it with shellac and then let it cure at least 8-9mths or more. Then when its drier chase a ring. You could even rough it out after the inital debark and seal the back and then it will decrease the drying time. When your dealing with cured osage, chasing a ring becomes much easier to follow, even with micro rings because the early growth stuff gets somewhat chalky compared to the late growth. Most of the stuff I'm working now though is all 3yrs old or older so make sure you harvest enough so you have excess from yr to yr that has a chance to really cure well. Thats what I try to do anyway. Stick with it, you'll be glad you did. Osage is awesome bow wood, its worth the effort. Danny
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I agree with Sidewinder. It might be best to just set that one aside for a while. I am learning to keep lots of staves on hand, to try and keep properly dried bow wood on hand. If you are hell bent on that one, rough it on out to floor tiller, seal it up good and set it aside for a couple of months or so. My favorite spot to dry one like that is under the bed. My wife has such a beautiful lilt to her voice when she stubs her toe on one or hits it with the vacuum cleaner.... :D
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Make sure when you are using your draw knife to chase a ring that the proper side is being used. It should be used upside down. I know it looks backwards but it's not. Here's a copy of your picture with part of it erased showing the ring you should chase. Later you may want to go one ring deeper because the top center of the ring looks like it's already been drawn too deep. Don't remove any more from the belly until you're sure how that ring looks on top.