Holey stave!

[Auggie]

Ive been lookin at this stick since Pappy's last may.  This big knot hole im not sure how to tackle. This stick is 1.5 wide,1.5 thick&67 inches long. the knot ends at  24 inches from tip of the stave. The knot is also 4inches across,so i wonder how much effect that will have on the limb,and it does have cracks even though it was sealed.  so im lookin for some input before i start on this osage stick. Thanks

[koan]

Holy Cow! Goodluck!

[Sasquatch]

Well, there is still early growth left in the hole.  Clean that up as best you can.  The grain is cut through on the left.  So start by following the grain on the side.  Leave it as wide as possible there on the left side.  If you need to reduce the width take it from the right side.  The whole should be in the fades or first 1/3 of limb.  So I don't think it will hinder the speed that much.  There seems to be a second knot that was cut through on the top of hole.  Super glue that and then maybe lay some sinew or flax going with grain to keep splinters down.  There is a bow in this months edition of PA that kinda resembles this potential bow. There is hope. Good luck.

[osage outlaw]

I would get it down to a single ring before doing anything else.  See how bad the cracks are and how the grain flows around the hole.  You should meet up with Hole in the bow Chuck at the Classic this year.  He is the one with the holey bow in the bear hunting article in this months PA magazine.  Staves like that are his specialty.

[mullet]

I've got the belly side of that one. I'm still looking at it.

[Pat B]

I'd get it down to one back ring first, too. Until then you won't know how the grain flows around the knot on the left at the bottom of it. Now, it looks like not much wood is there and the grain from the left side of the knot will run off the side just below the knot. I hope it's good. It should make a very cool bow. Chuck will be jealous! 
Good luck with this one, Auggie. 

[blackhawk]

Don't be intimidated by it...chase a ring,and follow the grain like you wood with any other...if it survives cool..if not..oh well..its just wood n plenty more holey osage out there

[RyanY]

One "outside of the box" option is to make the bow asymmetrical. Keep the knot just below the handle making the bottom limb short and keeping the upper limb extra long. Don't have to get much bend out of the knot in that case since it would essentially become part of the bottom fade. Might make for an interesting bow.

[Jim Davis]

I'd cut it up for firewood.

[Will H]

You've been given some good advice! Good luck with it! I made one a few years ago much like it. Here's some inspiration for ya!!

[Sasquatch]

That is inspiration for everybody what a beautiful bow.

[missilemaster]

When are you going to put some compound sights in that hole Will?

[JW_Halverson]

When are you going to put some compound sights in that hole Will?

Stick a big ol' lighted candle in it for a primitive illuminated sight!

[sleek]

It can be done. Here is my hole in the limb bow. It shoots through the hole in the handle. Well, it did before the lower limb broke. The limb with the knot is fine. Gonna splice a new one on it.

You can do it, thou I may give up on the hole and just cut out the material on the this side and make it a dog leg there than a thin sided hole.

[Pappy]

You pretty much treat them like anything else, get it to a ring and when you start bending keep it a little stiff in that area, you are probably not going to get the prefect tiller everyone is  always looking for but they shoot just fine, some worry about them being shocky but if you measure how much limb you have on either side of the hole and leave out what is missing their is no more wood than if the hole wasn't there just wider because of the hole, or you give it to Hole in the bow Chuck. Good luck, love them knot holes, ant done one in a while but went through a stage that I didn't want anything else.
   Pappy