Osage bow tiller advice wanted

[Jesse]

Its osage billets spliced with w splice ipe handle 62 1/2" ntn 1 1/4 wide tappers to 3/8 tips This is my first osage bow or any bow with humps and bumps and curves like this. I heated and bent the limbs to resemble each other as well as took out some propeller twist.  I am just not sure how much bend to put in the areas with knots and humps. In the pic it is braced to 3"  I hope to get this one to 35 or 40# at 25" and give it to my wife. it will also be my first attempt at flipping the tips so a little advice on that wouldn't hurt.  I love it when someone draws those red lines on the area to work on so feel free.   Jesse

[Dano]

She's lookin real good, knots and humps are always going to be a little stiffer, but your looking great. If it were me I wouldn't flip the tips on a charcter bow like yours. Right limb is a little stiff at mid limb.

[Jesse]

Thanks Dano I will take your advice. I thought right limb looked a little stiff as well. I didn't do to much on this yet actually three sessions with the scraper and one with a sander. I just stare at it and dont want to do anything because its new territory for me. Take a look at these knots. The center is really soft. think these will give me trouble?
                   
                   

[armymedic.2]

not that i know anything....but i remember a bow on here, pappy might have done it, that had nail holes through the limbs.  as long as you leave the outside of the knot a little thicker, those weak pin holes should give you no trouble...................not that i know anything

[cowboy]

Man, that things looking good Ryan! On those knots, I've always heard that you clean out all the soft stuff and fill it with super glue and saw dust, same with cracks. Haven't tried that yet, but have had holes go all the way through an osage limb with no negative affects.
 Like that tillering settup you got there , we usually use a six part line on loads in excess of around 100,000 pounds - you won't have to worry about breakage...

[Jesse]

Thanks for the info guys I think I will clean out the knots and fill them with glue and saw dust.
Cowboy I made this setup when I had a temporary lifting restriction. Now I love it. to pull 60# I only pull like 15# I can work the limbs with one finger And when I get a deer I can unhook it quick, take it to the shed and pull it up nice and easy.
                                                        Jesse

[El Destructo]

Like that tillering settup you got there , we usually use a six part line on loads in excess of around 100,000 pounds - you won't have to worry about breakage...

Cowboy....you sound like a Rigger or a Crane Operator.....getting Close???


WIBOWYER ....Don't worry about the Knots or the Punky Stuff in the middle of them...if you don't dig it out....it will fly out!!! An Osage Bow don't mind having holes through it's Limbs....this one has been here for years...and it is still going strong!!


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[Pat B]

If that knot has a good sized void in it do the super glue/saw dust in layers. Sometimes it takes me 2 or 3 days if the void is pretty large. If you try to fill it all at once there will probably get bubbles in the mixture or the glue won't saturate the saw dust completely. I'll add a bit of saw dust and saturate it well with glue and using a pin or needle to be sure all air bubbles are out and the mixture goes to the far reaches of the knot hole. Then let it cure and do another layer. When it is filled you can sand it smooth, adding more glue if needed to fill small bubble holes on the surface. Once cured treat it  like the rest of the bow as far as finishing.
   Pat

[El Destructo]

Pat....you think that this one needs to be filled?? It flew out three years ago...and has not seemed to bother a thing yet....it's a 65 pound Terror too  Or were you referring to Wibowyer's knots??

[Jesse]

Thanks yankeemongiat
Pat Would epoxy and saw dust work for a faster job or is the superglue the better choice?

[Badger]

The hole would probably look better and should not affect anything negative. Iwould leave it. Steve

[Pappy]

I would just clean them out and go for it.Looks like you left a little meat around them so you should be fine.I have done a lot with holes like that,if fact I look for wood with them in it.
Tiller looks good so far.Right a little stiff as someone has already said but other than that
looks fine so far.Be sure on one like that to flip it over so you can look at both sides before
moving.Sometimes they look good from one side and don't look the same when you flip them because of the humps and dives.Keep us posted.I love character bows.
   Pappy

[Jesse]

Thanks for the advice. I got it bending a little more. I had to straighten it out because the string wasnt tracking right. Its better now but the string is off to the left side of the handle.  I was thinking of heating in some reflex and just bent it back a little to look at it and CRACK. I strung it and it made a crack again. I pulled it 50 times since then and unstrung and strung it several times with no more noise. What do you think I should do? It  acts fine. I think I can see a hairline crack in the handle.  I was thinking it might be bending to much near the riser.

[El Destructo]

I think that the Tiller looks good...but the ....Crack....is never a good thing!! Can you visualy see any damage?? This may end up being a Prime Candidate for a Sinew or Rawhide Backing

[Jesse]

No damage in the limbs. I think it was in the handle riser but it is still working great and didnt take any set. I think I might just have to glue on a new handle.
          Jesse