Heat Treating Advice ?

[Stick Bender]

Hi every body I recently tried heat treating for the first time a couple of weeks ago on a hickory bow and was amazed at the difference it made , I'm currently working on a osage Cherokee type D bow and was considering heat treating in some reflex ,I know in TBB  Marc St. Louis  said osage was not affected  as  white woods unless it was poor quality osage I would consider  this stave thin ringed fair quality osage, what's your experience with heat treating osage ?

[Springbuck]

 I think Marc means that while white woods are often MUCH improved by heat tempering, because they are already struggling under compression, osage is already so good, that it improves, or CAN improve, but only a small amount.

Regardless of whether your wood, as in the material itself, needs improving, you can certainly use dry heat to induce reflex.

[Pat B]

I heat treat and reflex every osage bow I build.

[paulsemp]

I think osage benefits greatly from heat treating

[BowEd]

In the past I never heat treated osage.Just bent it here and there to get even looking limbs reflexed profiles.Thinking osage can stand on it's own,and it does.Have heat treated osage a couple of times now and like the results,but now make sure the wood is dry otherwise it will check on the back.Sometimes osage can be so wiggly and propeller prone etc. you might as well completely heat treat.You can live with those propellers though if they are'nt too much.Just turn the tips some.Afterwards let bow set at least a week to rehydrate.I use a 10 day rule myself.
Poorer quality osage means the early to late wood percentage is sub par.

[Springbuck]

There ya are.  Pat would know...

[simson]

Sometimes I do, sometimes not.
See my thread here (bow 73+74 part 2), the limbs are heat treated and reflex added, didn't measure before  but assume 15 extra pounds for sure.

[Marc St Louis]

I've had Osage bows explode after a good heat-treating session so I'm careful with them now

[crooketarrow]

  Hickory can't take heating to bend like Osage, it dose temper well. I quit using heat on limbs 15 years ago.

  Osage an take a lot more heat while bending than any other woods.

  Nothing but LOOKS can be gained through using heating your bow. Unless your tempering white woods.  I know I'm doing it without heat.

Heated wood changes the wood cells. Once woods heated and damaged there's no repairing the wood cells.

  I'm not saying you can't built a Osage bow using heat you can. It just won't be as good or as long lasting as a bow built without using heat.

   I fell into this old wisetail old ago that you've got to use heat to build a bow. I know I just that for my first 10 years building bows. I did use heat of at lest 20 Osage bows.

  For the last 15 years I built another so more Osage bows. I built everyone with out using heat. Doing all my bending while green.
 
  Boys, if you don't use heat, you just have to use for wood working skills from the. LAYOUT TO FINISH.

I agree some Osage staves you have no choise to use heat. If you don't prepair while green.

  I thought your trip through life learning to be a bower. You are always learning to be a better  bower. If your content with where you in your bow building. SO BE IT YOUR  fine in my eyes.  Keep no doing what your doing if your happy with the process bow building so far.

 But your bows can be better than they are turning out.
 
 I do all my bending while green as soon as I split it. Some I reflex some staves and others I cut down to bow form and put on a caul. I did my staves (while green) and  built my bows for the last 15 years.

[okie64]

  Hickory can't take heating to bend like Osage, it dose temper well. I quit using heat on limbs 15 years ago.

  Osage an take a lot more heat while bending than any other woods.

  Nothing but LOOKS can be gained through using heating your bow. Unless your tempering white woods.  I know I'm doing it without heat.

Heated wood changes the wood cells. Once woods heated and damaged there's no repairing the wood cells.

  I'm not saying you can't built a Osage bow using heat you can. It just won't be as good or as long lasting as a bow built without using heat.

   I fell into this old wisetail old ago that you've got to use heat to build a bow. I know I just that for my first 10 years building bows. I did use heat of at lest 20 Osage bows.

  For the last 15 years I built another so more Osage bows. I built everyone with out using heat. Doing all my bending while green.
 
  Boys, if you don't use heat, you just have to use for wood working skills from the. LAYOUT TO FINISH.

I agree some Osage staves you have no choise to use heat. If you don't prepair while green.

  I thought your trip through life learning to be a bower. You are always learning to be a better  bower. If your content with where you in your bow building. SO BE IT YOUR  fine in my eyes.  Keep no doing what your doing if your happy with the process bow building so far.

 But your bows can be better than they are turning out.
 
 I do all my bending while green as soon as I split it. Some I reflex some staves and others I cut down to bow form and put on a caul. I did my staves (while green) and  built my bows for the last 15 years.

Huh??

[Josh B]

Okie- I think that falls under "if you can't dazzle them with brilliance....."  lol!
Stick bender- as has been said it can help the lower quality Osage more than it helps the good stuff, but even the good Osage will gain a few pounds of draw weight with tempering.  Also, as has been said, it is important to let the bow rehydrate for several days at least before you start working it again.  Josh