Osage twist - Need your advice

[M3]

Have a 64" stave, looks fairly straight. 3.0 in wide on 1 end, other is 1.75".
Trying to find the center to begin laying out back,
stretching the string on nails centered on each end reveals a twist,
smaller end almost running out too far to edge of stave.
Please advise best way to correct problem. Thanking you in advance, Roy

[richpierce]

I always trace the center down the back of the stave once I have it down to one ring.  I start in the handle area and pencil my way down the back, skipping from one of those short grain lines to the next.  A nail scratched down the back will also follow the grain.  I find the center of the grain then lay out the bow.  I don't think using a straight line on osage would work.  Almost never.  if the piece was split and dod not have a lot of cross-grain that needed to be chopped out it probably is following the grain and you can guess that staying in the middle of the stave at all points will be close to the true centerline.

[George Tsoukalas]

Forget the string for osage. Look at the stave closely. I mean really look at it. You'll see the gain running from one end to the other up and down. Draw a pencil line down the center of the stave following this stave.  Split staves follow the grain almost automatically. Band sawed ones will not . You gotta find it though. It's there. Jawge

[cowboy]

Like Jawge and Rich said: Chase your chosen ring then look down the back from the end. If you have sunlight use it to your advantage, if not any bright light will do. Put the light pointing toward you from the other end of the stave - you'll be able to see the lateral grain in the wood. Draw your centerline along that grain, then the outline of your bow. After it's cut, you can staighten it out with either steam or heat. Steam for wet wood, dry heat for dry wood..

[GregB]

All very good advice given already...you need to study the stave like Jawge said and try and picture where is the best place to lay the bow out. I have slightly and gradually over distance crossed over some grains when necessary to avoid a knot or crack, etc. But only when absolutely necessary. Propellar doesn't really cause much of a problem with osage, it's almost the norm. Go ahead and lay the bow out following the grain, rough the bow in including limb thickness near floor tiller stage, and straighten the stave using dry heat. Got to get the wood bending some before the heat can play its magic.