Osage RPI

[Sidewinder]

  I was just wondering what the tightest rings you guys have worked on osage without backing it? I normally have pretty good ring thickness on most of the stuff I harvest. Somewhere in the four to 8 rings per inch catagory, but I just finished working on one that had a 1" handle thickness and it had 20 growth rings in it. The limbs were 3/8" thick and they had 7 growth rings in them.
 
  I had concerns about whether or not it would hold up  but it turned out real nice and I can't believe how micro those rings are. I was pretty happy I was able to chase one all the way down the back and not violate anything. I can tell you this, if its a well cured stave it won't gouge and my super sharp draw knife can find the early growth easily and its just a matter of staying on it all the way down and then cleaning it up with sandpaper and then burnishing it with 00 steel wool.   
 
  I used to think I needed thick rings cuz I was concerned about not being able to chase a tight ring but I guess if you spend enough time debarking and chasing rings with a draw knife it becomes rather easy and then ring thickness does'nt matter because you learn to control it very precisely.

  I may post some pics of it on another thread I will start soon. Gotta get the photos done first.

Danny

[turtle]

I have used some that was thin enough that i was afraid to do any thing but a real light sanding after chasing the ring. I never counted the rings though. Never have backed osage yet.

[blackhawk]

Yup..its really not that difficult chasing thin rings if you already have the "know how"...I've done a few in the 1/32" unbacked,and they are still shooting great to this day.

[Cloudfeather]

I've never chased anything under about 1/16 of an inch, but I can tell you that using a dull draw knife makes chasing a ring near fool proof.

[Will H]

Anymore I prefer tight ringed Osage. That bow John just posted had ten rings in the limbs but I've made em with even tighter rings than that. It seems to me that tight rings (with good ratio) make a little better performing bows than say 1/4" rings with equally good ratio.

[blackhawk]

Will brings up a good point...its all about ring ratio.....a bow with 1/16" thick latewood with literally paper thin early wood is better than 1/8" latewood with 1/8" of early wood. I look at the ratio more so than the ring size. But most all Osage makes a great bow no matter what the rings look like IMHO. Id take the less dense osage over any of the whitewoods any day of the week.

[SLIMBOB]

Agree.  Ratio makes all the difference.  Most of the thin ring Bois d'ark i"ve worked however, had better ratio than the thicker ringed stuff.  Not always true but generally speaking.

[Will H]

I agree with you blackhawk! Any Osage is better than them "other" woods!  lol

[koan]

I agree with the ratio thing. One thing ive discovered tho is a high ratio of spring growth will take more set and is less likely to survive dry heat recurving. Still makes a fine bow tho..

[blackhawk]

So hows that yew going will?...it ain't osage...is it? 

[koan]

It can cook a brat or kill a frenchmen...lol

[Will H]

Hawkman I'm gonna work on it some more after work today. I'm building an Osage right along with it. Same length, same weight. That way I can get some personal perspective on it. So far I like how easy the stuff works gonna put em both on the reflex form tonight

[Will H]

Oh, and I'm gonna start trying out the mass principle on these as well along with badgers no set tillering technique. Well see how it goes!

[blackhawk]

Sweet..now ya just need to try out them blackhawk tips too..lol    yew is an "ole mans" wood for dudes who don't have osage muscles it is a pleasure to work with

[Tom Leemans]

Yep, the thinner the creamy colored stuff is, the less likely it is to go bang!