48" osage too recurved?

[Peacebow_Coos]

I have a belly split from a longbow project that I've yet to tackle and it seemed from what I've gleaned on here that osage will make a 40-55# sinew backed bow with a 1" width at around 25-26" draw.  I was originally going for a smaller curve, maybe the last 2-3" but I ended up using the last 6" because I got antsy and used a metal lawn chair arm for a caul 'cause I'm kinda low tech.  The first curve went in nicely with the heat gun and canola oil and only lifted one ring on the sharpest part of the radius.  I roughed this one out with the coarse rasp, would it have made a difference if I'd smoothed it up first?  There were some gouges from the rasp on the edges of the belly.  Also, the second curve had a dark line running diagonally across the grain and once I got it close to the finished curve it let go right there.  I let it dry then tried filling the whole thing with tb3 and clamping but it was pretty set where it was. 




My questions are
2. I've got just under 3/8" where the crack ends, should I cut it there and the other limb to match?
3. Will I still be able to get close to a 25-26" draw with 1-2 layers of sinew?
4. Are these recurves ridiculous for this shorty or what?
5.  Anyone have the experience with the dark line thing?  There's a couple on the back of my longbow stave now I'm wondering....
Thanks everyone

[PatM]

Cut them off and glue in a new set of steamed curves or better yet, low angled levers and stretch it out a bit.

[Peacebow_Coos]

Thanks Pat, you mean with a V splice or W splice or something?  I've never done that before but gotta learn sometime right?    I like that idea.

[mikekeswick]

It wasn't hot enough. Maybe on the outside but not inside. Make sure the heat has a longertime to get 'into' the wood next time.
Try using a stainless steel strap around the outside of the bend.
Reduce the belly to one growth ring so that the fibers are not cut throught on the outside of the bend.
Yes make it smooth and round the edges well.
If possible leave the tips much wider before bending the curves in.

If I were you i'd also find some naturally grown curves and splice them in with a v splice. If you do the splice well there is no need to wrap it  or anything.

[Peacebow_Coos]

Ok, good to know thanks mikekeswick, that makes sense.  I did rush it, the belly was so hot I could only touch it for like 1 second before I had to pull away my finger so I figured it was good but it only took like 20 minutes    I'll try and get my hands on a strap and definitely smooth 'er out next time.  I've got some yew lumber scraps laying around I was thinking of putting a less pronounced curve in.  Do you guys think that would work, the grain on them isn't great but they won't be bending much and it's hopefully gonna be sinewed?  That's interesting find a naturally grown curve...don't get outta the city much unfortunately.  I've had luck with the heat gun and steam before, usually for longer periods of exposure but I'm new to osage.  I'm wondering about that dark line it ran right where that crack happened but didn't show any signs of a split until I had 'er under extreeeeem tension.

Thanks for the help guys
Sam

[Pappy]

Hard to see from the pictures, looks pretty thick to try and bend with heat, Can't see the line you are talking about,bad picture at least it is for these old eyes. 
   Pappy

[Peacebow_Coos]

Yeah Pappy it's the computer's camera, not very good lighting either, this one looks better.  It's 1/2" thick and 1" wide. 
Much appreciated
Sam

[PatM]

That makes it look more like a badly selected board. I can't really see how the grain can be running like that with a split stave.

[Peacebow_Coos]

It's not technically a split....I bandsawed it off    ...and just cleaned it up for sinew.  the grain there has some islands on the back toward the last 3" of the tip. it runs off right there but not bad.  I figured with sinew it wouldn't make much difference.  Man this project is takin hair off my head!  I looked at the other side and I guess that dark line is in the porous section of a ring.  Is that rot? 

[osage outlaw]

If those are growth rings, something isn't right.  With a split stave you should have rings running the full length of the bow.  It lools like yours are running at an angle across the limb there where you recurved it. 

[osage outlaw]

I marked the growth rings on this bow with a pencil.  They run parallel to the back through the recurve.  Somehow it looks like yours run diagonal across it.  That is probably why it split so bad.  It looks like it seperated at a growth ring.

[Peacebow_Coos]

I tried to post this already but it was on an iphone so I can blame it on technology.  It's not a true belly split, I bandsawed it off and just cleaned up the back for sinew.  The rings are running off on the recurve....or were, I piked 'em off to where the split ended, taking 2" off each end to get to 44" overall.  There are some violations but they're going under sinew.  I took it down and got it bending today, and now I'm covered in yellow dust 





Keeping the knot for an arrow rest hopefully

Thanks, Sam