osage stave advice needed

[jeffp51]

A month or two ago I traded JoJo for an osage stave that he got from someone else on this site.  I forget who, but thanks to both of you.  Osage is like gold out here in Utah, I think.  A single ring had already been chased by the original owner prior to sealing.

The whole thing has been sealed with what may be polyurethane, but since I have had it, it has begun to check anyway.  there are a couple of small checks on the back and some bigger ones on the belly.  You can see pictures below.  the first is the back, the second is the belly. I have two questions:

1.  Do I need to do something with these right away--chase a new ring on the back/ cut away the check on the belly? Or is it okay to leave it?

2. JoJo thinks I can maybe get two bows out of this piece of wood if I bandsaw it.  I have included thickness measurements in the pics.  I would love to get two bows from this one piece, but I don't want to get greedy and end up with nothing, since getting more osage could be hard to do.

FYI the stave is 64" long and has about a 30 degree prop twist to it.

Thanks for all your wisdom

[Tyke]

I gave joe that stave and i acquired it from fred arnold who had already single ringed it before he shipped it

[Tyke]

Dont cut it just start working down the belly till you can get it to bend a little and then shape it and floor tiller it then you can start to finish tillering it to the draw length and weight you want

[jeffp51]

That's right, Tyke. Sounds like it is time some one made a bow out of it then!  it has seen enough owners.  At 64 inches, I think it will probably need a bendy handle to get to my 29" draw,  even though I would prefer rigid.  I want to play safe and not muck it up.

[Tyke]

And dealing with the twist jawge has a page with info on fixing twist

[Tyke]

Definitely do a bendy you can do a leather or cork build up if you want for the handle i believe  that stave is a sister to the bow i let you draw

[Tyke]

And get a humidifier we live in a desert

[jeffp51]

Tyke, can you give me the full dimensions on that bow?  width, thickness of limbs at tip and fades, etc?  I am also thinking if the handle bends a bit, I can flip the tips a bit for a more elegant line. -- I do have a swamp cooler that has been cranked all summer.  my basement feels fairly humid.  I need to look into a moisture meter.

[blackhawk]

Make one bow from it,and lay it out so no checks run off the edge...a rawhide backing wrapping around the corners might not be a bad idea to,and might be needed IMHO ..especially if ya can't lay it out without a check running off...if so then you'll have to wrap that area as well before any serious bending occurs....good luck

[Pat B]

Super glue those checks now and keep adding it as needed as you reduce the wood.

[JoJoDapyro]

The checking issue may be from going from being dry in my garage to more humid in the house with the swamp cooler. Just my thoughts. I am not a expert by any means. Once you get that one made I am sure you will be in love. Another thought for later Jeff, If you want we can get together and make a trade and get more osage. I find it is simpler to pool resources and share the shipping costs than to do it alone. 

[JoJoDapyro]

And that stave came from Fred Arnold.

[Pat B]

Checks(drying crack) happens when a wet stave dries too fast not a dry stave being hydrated.
I'm working on a bow from a stave that Josh(Gun Doc) gave me at the Classic last spring. He cut the tree 15 years ago on an island near where he lives in Kansas. It laid on the ground for 15 years before he recovered it. It has some impressive checks in it. I'll post a few pics later. I filled the checks(back and belly) with super glue. As I reduce the stave the check open up so I filled them again, and again, and again. I've almost used a bottle of super glue on this stave but I the end it will be worth it.

[jeffp51]

I am still debating chasing a new ring on back.  Right now the back isn't super smooth, and I am not positive it hasn't been violated, or that me sanding it won't result in a violation.  there is a relatively fat ring (still a little thin, though) about two rings down, and I could probably use the practice.  What do you all think?  Again, my main goal is not to muck it up.

[Pat B]

Will you post pics of the rings on each end?