Osage billet bow "help-along"

[Michael C.]

I would listen to the other guys who have made them at that width, I've never tried one that size, but now I might knowing others have been doing it all along  See what you learn even when you think you know better.

[artcher1]

You still have sufficient width at an  1 1/4"  to build what you want.  Try cleaning/squaring up the sides of your billet out to about 8-10" or so from the butt end to where the sides show about 5/8" to 3/4" limb thickness.  Then measure across. You'll probably show a bit more than 1 1/4". ART

[hedgeapple]

Art, ok I'll give it a try.

[hedgeapple]

I got back from muzzleloader hunting today and nearly cried when I examined my billets.  I had 5 billets for potentially building a bow.  Four of the 5 checked badly while I was gone for 3 day.  I had applied glue to the ends and back, but not the belly, which was stilll in the"splittery/slip mode.  The check lines run between rings and spider web along the longatudinal lines.  I'm in a step back on punt model right now.  The boar hunt is six weeks away and I'm as square 1 in the process.  I'm sure I have more rational thinking by tomorrow.  My wife has hidden all the axes and hatches to keep me from whacking ever piece of organic matter to splitters.      

[artcher1]

That's strange for 1 1/2 year old billets. You'll probably still good to go. How about some pics? ART

[hedgeapple]

Art, I find it strange, aslo.  Especially, since all of the  billets had been in the house for at least a week to begin with.  The only thing I can think of is: our house is very open with a vaulted ceiling,  except my office where the billets were.  The themostats regulate tempts for the open area of the house.  When my office door is closed, it's the house room in the house because the heating units are trying to heat the large area and my office really doesn't circulate heat anywhere else.  If the door was closed to my office for 3 days, it's possible that while the rest of the house was 68 degrees, my office could have be 80 + degrees with no circulation of moisture.

[artcher1]

Just curious here Dave, did you reduce those billets (like in the pic. I previously put up for you)  to near bow dimensions before taking inside? If not, then you have your answer.

I wouldn't give up on your wood just yet. I know a lucky young fellow who's shooting a very nice osage bow today where the previous owner had similar problems with the stave. ART

[Eric Krewson]

I have tried to make bows from osage that checked in from the sides, every attempt failed. When I run across a stave or billets from my stash that has side checks now I trash it,  don't want to put a bunch of work in something that will more than likely fail.

Here is the straw that broke the camels back for me on side checked wood. I spent a tremendous amount of time making a sinew backed R/D osage bow. There was a side check in the handle area when I started the bow but I thought it wouldn't be a problem but it turned out to be an indication of weak grain structure. The sinew pulled the bow apart as it dried. The crack shown below is one of many that showed up as the sinew dried.

[artcher1]

I suspect that those cracks may have already been there but were made visible by further drying. Was the wood cut when it's sap was up? But unless you get your wood closer to dimensions you really don't know what you can do with the it. Heck, what have you got to lose, you will still gain some valuable experience.

True, most of the time those cracks run deeper than they appear. But I've made several successful bows from such. And sometimes not. Just depends on how deep the delaminations run. ART

[hedgeapple]

Just curious here Dave, did you reduce those billets (like in the pic. I previously put up for you)  to near bow dimensions before taking inside? If not, then you have your answer.

I wouldn't give up on your wood just yet. I know a lucky young fellow who's shooting a very nice osage bow today where the previous owner had similar problems with the stave. ART

Art, I brought the staves which were wedges no more than 3 1/2 inches wide and 3/12 inches high (belly to back), inside.  Then began reducing them.  I'm slow.  By the end of the week I had 2 reduced to 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 still wedged shaped with the appex removed.  I had also began chasing a ring and was half way finished with one billet.  Friday evening I coated the ends and backs with white glue.  In hide sight, I probably should have put them back in the shed until I could have gotten them squared and the rings chased.  Lesson learned.  Don't effect the moisture content of the wood until they're roughed out to near bow size.  AND then seal them with poly.

There might still be a bow in these billets.  Any other time I would continue with them until they proved me wrong.  And, just chalk it up to learning.  But, for now I don't have the luxury of time.  I have 6 weeks until the boar hunt.  If I'm going to get a bow built in that time frame, I need to work with wood that gives me the best odds for success.

The two staves that I did no work on, also checked.  But I didn't apply glue to those.  But, looking at the checks, they might still have enough would that is uncracked that would make a bow.  I'm going out to split them now and see what I have.

[Michael C.]

That's strange to see in wood that has dried for that long, I have wood I've kept in the garage from this spring till now and the humidity and temp have been up and down and I haven't seen that sort of thing happen  I'm curious why that would happen, so it doesn't happen to mine, anyone know?

[artcher1]

Only time that I've seen osage delaminate like in Eric"s pic is when the tree was cut with the sap up in spring. The fellow that cut the tree failed to get the wood in out of sun and wind quick enough. Osage is one wood, once started on, should be reduced to a roughed out bow stage to help reduce checking (and sealed accordingly to it's dried/wet state) IMO. Less wood equals less shrinkage.  ART

[Pappy]

I have had some that I split the stave's really close to size while they were green side check,Now I don't split them down as close. 4 or 5 inches wide is about as small as I split them till they dry out some. I have also cut some that had been blown over by a tornado that had them in it,I figured it was the twist for the storm had separated the rings.
   Pappy

[hedgeapple]

Michael, I think Art hit on the problem(s).  I redued the wood probably 40% which would allow it to dry faster.  The relative humity outside right now is 93%.  Kentucky's RH is always high and most always above 70%.  Then I keep those reduced billets inside in dry heat.  I don't have an RH guage is my house, but I'd bet it's in the lower 30's.  Then I don't seal them complete.

[artcher1]

You can purchase a digital temperature/humidity gauge at Wally World for about 6 bucks each. One in the house and one in the shop is a must. Good things start to happen once you have a general idea of the wood's moisture content. ART