New Bowyer Here, Have a Question

[sailordad]

i say as a a beginner,use what ya can get your hands on. dont worry which one is better,makes some shavings and find that bow thats
hiding in that particular piece of wood.
personally i hate working with hickory,but love the end resulting bow that ya get from it.

[Granite Mtn]

Hey tracker floor tiller the snot out of that thing and you will really cut down your chances for an explosive ending to your project.  One big mistake beginers make is spending a lot of time tillering staves before they have seasoned or junk staves the procure in a hurry.  Take this time while that one is drying to go cut a bunch of bow wood rough it into staves and get it drying for your next project.  Hope this helped and good luck

[CutNShoot]

Osage is pretty simple to follow a ring on if it is dry.  Just cut down to the ring ya want and you can hear that draw knife sing along the rings.Also it will let you get by with a halfway bad tillering job. Never done a hickory but have done a pecan and it was from a tree that was in a fire. That pecan was the best wood I've ever used. Been thinking about cutting a pecan stave leaving the bark on  and oil the belly and sides with crisco then digging a trench about 6 inches deep and covering the stave up  with dirt and then building afire along the whole length of it and let it burn all night trying to duplicate the other one I had. 

[gutpile]

I don't like how you cut through the back on your string nocks...not a wise choice..I would back it with sinew for a snappy shooter...gut

[wakosama]

Hiya fellow Texan...

I'm in Spring, just north of Houston, email me your address and I'll send you another couple of books.  Lot's of good, and real time guidance here.  Helped me identify alot of my mistakes and avoid a couple.  I've learned alot faster on the forums than in the books because there's lots of feedback and many minds at work.  Really great.  Like books for the quiet time and careful study.

LUK

[Tracker]

Hey Gut, what do you mean about cuting through the back on the nocks? Now, I did not touch the growth ring on the back, but the notch is all the way through, should it only be notched on the belly? I have never seen one like that.

Wakosama, Hi Tex! Oh, I would not have you go to the trouble of sending books, I appreciate it though. If you would post the names of the books, I will try to find them.

I am going to work it some more, can't wait for seasoning. Been looking for some more staves, I cut a Sweetgum last night. It would not have been my first choice, (but we have so many of them) I would think that it would have much spring, but heard someone say that it is a very hard wood, I had not thought it was.

Getting harder to find Osage around here, anyone ever work an Osage sappling rather than splitting out an old tree?

Thanks folks!

[gutpile]

Yep notched only on the sides.if you want the string groove to run thru the back side you need to put overlays on...chance of it blowin there now..good luck with it...hope it holds..gut

[xin]

Hickory is the easiest wooden bow for a beginner.  Just  keep it dry and it'll shoot just as hard as an osage.  The first layer of sapwood under the bark is your back.

[PeteC]

Tracker,see if you can find a nice straight hickory,eastern hophornbeam,elm,white oak,or even red oak ,( and there are many more usable species in our area).If you'll wait just a few more weeks,when the sap  has risen,the bark of these whitewood species is easy to remove.Then the wood right under the bark is the back of your bow. You can lay out your bow ,and get it to near final dimensions,then clamp it in reflex,and allow it to dry on the form,then in about a month you can take it off the form  and it will hold the nice even reflexed shape.store it in a nice dry place,like in the house,then in a couple of months ,it'll probably be ready to tiller.  God Bless

[Tracker]

Thanks Pete, looks like it is time to go tresspassing and locate some good trees Gut, I must not have taken real good pics, the notchs are only on the sides, so I guess I am okay there.

So, someone mentioned that I ought to linen back this one to strengthen it, maybe keep it from spliting. I am trying to learn everything as primitive as I can. I got this idea, what about backing with retted yucca fiber, and pitch or hide glue (which I have yet to make) laying it on like sinew?

Say, I thought that the best time to harvest was when the sap was down, that it made the stave less likely to split out?

Take Care