Author Topic: Thin ringed Osage again  (Read 4806 times)

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Offline dane lund

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Thin ringed Osage again
« on: September 07, 2016, 12:43:10 pm »
Got two great staves, but very thin ringed.  Chased a ring easily, but am concerned. TBB1 say use a ring that is 2 to 3/16"  thick.  None of these are that thick.
Do I need to back it?
Thanks in advance!
In His grip,
Smallpatch

Offline Del the cat

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Re: Thin ringed Osage again
« Reply #1 on: September 07, 2016, 12:54:33 pm »
I just made a flight bow from thin ringed Osage... no prob' .
I must admit, I was worried by it, and had considered using it with the rings running back to belly. The guys on the forum, said it'd be fine and it was :)
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,57723.0.html
If you look at the pic on that thread, I didn't even use the fat ring in the pic... I ended up using the one above it!
Del
PS I'll go and measure the ring on the back... don't go away...rings are spaced very even every 0.07" that's one whole pair of rings late plus early
« Last Edit: September 07, 2016, 01:03:14 pm by Del the cat »
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Thin ringed Osage again
« Reply #2 on: September 07, 2016, 01:16:14 pm »
Not everything in the TBB is set in stone. Its just a bunch of opinions no different than mine or Del's.
Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline Del the cat

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Re: Thin ringed Osage again
« Reply #3 on: September 07, 2016, 01:28:03 pm »
Not everything in the TBB is set in stone. Its just a bunch of opinions no different than mine or Del's.
Yeah, TBB... in Vol 1 they said the Mary Rose was raised off Plymouth >:( ... It was PORTSMOUTH... I was there! (when it came up, not when it went down! ::) )
Del
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Thin ringed Osage again
« Reply #4 on: September 07, 2016, 01:34:36 pm »
There was just a big thread up regarding ring thickness in osage. Probably a good read for your confidence.
Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline Eric Krewson

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Re: Thin ringed Osage again
« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2016, 01:36:29 pm »
Everyone seems to worship the TBB series, I found a mix of very good information and very bad in #1-#2 and #3 never bought #4.


Offline Badger

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Re: Thin ringed Osage again
« Reply #6 on: September 07, 2016, 01:49:20 pm »
   I agree with you on the TB series Eric, I guess it was the best info they had available at that time but based almost purely on opinions. I got some paper thin ringed osage several years ago and figured it would be junk. I loved it.

Offline osage outlaw

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Re: Thin ringed Osage again
« Reply #7 on: September 07, 2016, 02:06:11 pm »
If you chased a ring cleanly I wouldn't worry about backing it.  I did a test on a piece of osage at the Classic this year.  It had micro rings that were pretty much all early growth.  I cleaned the back of the stave up, sanded it smooth, and coated it 2x with super glue.  I never chased a ring or paid any attention to them.  The back was covered in violations.  The bow pulled 28" easily but it was very weak due to the poor quality of the wood.  We decided to see how far it would go before breaking.  I think it finally blew at 31" or 32".  Not bad for a 66" bow with a stiff handle.  The break was clean across the back on both limbs.  It didn't break at a violation. 
I started out with nothin' and I still got most of it left

Offline Del the cat

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Re: Thin ringed Osage again
« Reply #8 on: September 07, 2016, 02:27:30 pm »
Everyone seems to worship the TBB series, I found a mix of very good information and very bad in #1-#2 and #3 never bought #4.
From my point of view, I view it in context with what was available before which was virtually nothing or Practical Mechanics articles which referred to woods not available in the UK.
Del
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Offline DC

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Re: Thin ringed Osage again
« Reply #9 on: September 07, 2016, 02:44:20 pm »
Since bowyering(word?) almost became extinct in the 70's or so just about everything you read has just been re-discovered. It's still sort of an infant craft that changes on a day to day basis. TBB4 corrects quite a few of the errors in 1 through 3. It was written by the cream at the time. Just because there are a few errors doesn't mean it isn't a valuable resource. It's kind of like the internet, make sure you have a few opinions before you go ahead and make sure the the people that are giving the opinions didn't get them from each other.

Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Thin ringed Osage again
« Reply #10 on: September 07, 2016, 03:06:46 pm »
I'm not knocking the TBB series as it did nudged me along big time. I'm just saying don't take every word as bowyery gospel.
Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline SLIMBOB

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Re: Thin ringed Osage again
« Reply #11 on: September 07, 2016, 03:08:46 pm »
Look how far we've come since TBB I.  There's more usable information shared between folks on this forum in just a few days than than the entire book can offer.  Del's right though, it was the best source available then and I am grateful it was done.  Lot's of folks having done enough of these bows now can say with some authority, that white woods will make good bows, Fast Flite strings wont break 'em, you don't NEED to back thin ringed bows, and monthly rings are caused by the moon!  8)
Liberty, In God We Trust, E Pluribus Unum.  Distinctly American Values.

Offline Aaron H

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Re: Thin ringed Osage again
« Reply #12 on: September 07, 2016, 05:33:43 pm »
I built my first bow using only Tbb1

Offline Dictionary

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Re: Thin ringed Osage again
« Reply #13 on: September 07, 2016, 05:36:27 pm »
Look how far we've come since TBB I.  There's more usable information shared between folks on this forum in just a few days than than the entire book can offer.  Del's right though, it was the best source available then and I am grateful it was done.  Lot's of folks having done enough of these bows now can say with some authority, that white woods will make good bows, Fast Flite strings wont break 'em, you don't NEED to back thin ringed bows, and monthly rings are caused by the moon!  8)

Perfectly said
"I started developing an eye for those smooth curves as a young man.  Now that my hair is greying and my middle spreading I make bows instead."

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Offline mullet

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Re: Thin ringed Osage again
« Reply #14 on: September 07, 2016, 05:56:14 pm »
And before the TBB's there was Jim Hamm's book, which I used for a guide with my first bow. He said you couldn't use kiln dried wood in that one.
Lakeland, Florida
 If you have to pull the trigger, is it really archery?