Someone, please, tell me that my bow is salvageable!!! Thanks.

[CrazyHorse1969]

I am not sure if the attached pictures are clear enough, but is this Osage bow going to need a riser because of the lack of wood near the handle? I chased the ring, no worries; sketched out my design on the back, no worries; and whacked off some of the bulk of the belly, really only the length of the limbs, with an ax, no worries. Then a worry. I am not sure if there is enough wood on the belly for the handle (and, sort of just below the handle too). I did not take any wood off there; it is just the way the stave split. Someone, please, tell me that my bow is salvageable.

The long pencil mark shows the center of the bow at 1-1/4" deep. The other ones show a 4" handle and the 1-1/2" fades.

This is only my third self bow, so any and all suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

[osage outlaw]

Its hard to tell from the pictures but it doesn't take much wood to have a non bending handle on an osage bow.  You could always build it up with leather or cork if you need to. 

[Pat B]

How thick is it at the handle?

[CrazyHorse1969]

Where the longest line stops (the last picture, which I now see is upside down) is 1-1/4". I figured that would be an approximate finished depth. Is that what you mean by "thick"?

[lebhuntfish]

It looks like you will be ok. I am working on a bow now that has a smaller handle than that one does. Mine too is the way it split. I'm just going to build it up with some thick rawhide.

[CrazyHorse1969]

Great! Thanks for your help.

[Pat B]

Yes, back to belly = thick.  1 1/4" is thick enough for a rigid handle. You can add a cork or leather overlay on the back to fill your hand as you grip the bow.  If you like a deeper handle you can add wood to the belly side of the handle. Any gouges can be filled with a glue and sawdust paste. This will just be a filler and tiller will tell how the bow bends.

[lebhuntfish]

Any time,  i'm still relatively new to this but that was the information I received from a Bowyer with a lot of years under his belt when I asked the same question...Patrick

[lebhuntfish]

Yes, back to belly = thick.  1 1/4" is thick enough for a rigid handle. You can add a cork or leather overlay on the back to fill your hand as you grip the bow.  If you like a deeper handle you can add wood to the belly side of the handle. Any gouges can be filled with a glue and sawdust paste. This will just be a filler and tiller will tell how the bow bends.

CrazyHorse1969, PatB knows what he is talking about.

[Newindian]

You could always build it up with sawdust and glue to stiffen it

[DuBois]

Looks a lot like one  just did that is a trade bow so pics are coming. I built it up with layers of leather. Wood was triangular in the handle, which added to strength I believe. I kept thinking "that sure isn't a lot of wood" and it was fine.
Marco

[CrazyHorse1969]

Thanks for all the help, guys.

[SLIMBOB]

I just recently finished one with a near identical problem.  On one half of the handle, thru the fade, the wood split oddly leaving me without a lot of depth on just one side of the handle.  In other words if you were to draw a line horizontally across the center of the handle. and then vertically thru the center of the handle, one of those quarters was very thin.  Narrowing the handle thru that area would leave me without enough wood to safely handle the task.  I opted to leave the handle wider at this spot to compensate.  I then built up the thin area with leather and CA glue, just for the aesthetics.  I don't have the traditional flare out on that fade, as it was full width before getting there but, it worked well and is hardly noticeable in the end.  You can look at the last bow I posted for finished pics, "Snaky Osage".  I am not suggesting that your bow doesn't have enough depth, It may.  This is simply how I dealt with what appears to be a similar problem.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Scott by the time you narrow that down to say 1" or 1 1/4" it will look even better. Not to mention you can taper the top over just a bit and all that will be gone, what is left will be covered with a grip, I assume. Looks like your getting right after it man!

[CrazyHorse1969]

Hey, Chris. When you say 1" or 1-1/4", are you referring to the handle depth? Or, are you referring to the handle width? I am assuming that you mean the handle depth. Also, how skinny can I take the handle width? I know I should make it comfortable to my own grip but just curious. By the way, loving working stave. Thanks.