Osage Board advice needed

[Don W]

I acquired several chunks of osage through some horse trading. A pretty rare site around these parts (the osage, not the horses). I hope it's ok if I pick your brains for each one as I garner the moxie to tackle them.

The smaller chunk should be the easiest.
This piece is 71" long, just under 1 1/2" wide and 5/8"-9/16" (9/16" on one end)
I'd like to wind up with a 50#-55# flat bow if possible

I have some hickory staves and I thought I could slice a slice off one without sacrificing the whole stave for a back, but wanted your opinion. The only possible boards I have would be white oak. (i'd buy some bamboo but only if it's going to make an improvement worthy of a "first kiss" moment)

How thick for the backing? 1/8"? 3/16"?

The black line shows the grain. I snapped a center line and measure both ways to get an even board.

Thoughts? Hopes? Dreams?

[Marc St Louis]

1/8" will do

[bownarra]

Yes anywhere from 1/8" to 3/16ths would be perfect.

[Eric Krewson]

I am not a fan off hickory backing having several of them fail in the past. if it was my board I would bamboo back it. I have made 2 or 3 edge grain bamboo backed osage bows, they came out just fine and I didn't have any failures.

[gutpile]

2nd eric.. boo back it...gut

[hoosierf]

I backed an Osage board like that with linen and it was a good shooter.  About 60# @ 28” and the bow was about 64-65 inches long.    Gave it away several years ago. 

[bownarra]

I am not a fan off hickory backing having several of them fail in the past. if it was my board I would bamboo back it. I have made 2 or 3 edge grain bamboo backed osage bows, they came out just fine and I didn't have any failures.

Eh? A hickory backing from a straight board will allow you to fret the osage....The only way straight grained hickory is going to break is if it hadn't been dried properly. When I geta new board of hickory I tend to make a super quick, heavy pyramid and then pull thesucker until 'something happens'. Most good hickory will let mebottom out my tiller tree at around 40"draw!
Don't worry about hckory! However do make sure you select a good board!
Bamboo is way more temprimental than good hickory.

[bassman211]

I have made some bows with hickory stave  splits. Probably would not have had to back them, but I did with linen , but my draw length is 25 inches, and the bows were from 35 to 45lbs at 60 to 62 inches long. Good Hickory is tough stuff.

[Pat B]

I've had excellent luck with hickory backed osage over the years, for me, much better results than with boo.

[Don W]

Thanks everyone. Maybe when I'm a little more confident in my tillering I'll spring for some bamboo. I took one of the hickory stave that was a bit oversized and ripped some hickory strips. There set off to dry.

[Dances with squirrels]

Bamboo is my preference, and I have two big logs worth of straight grained quartersawn smooth bark hickory that I cut and seasoned.

Get that slat down to a uniform thickness end to end. 1/2" can make a 70# bow. Taper it from dip area to tips if you can, then glue up into reflex or d/r shape. Yummy.

[Eric Krewson]

I have made about 50 bamboo backed bows, 3 or 4 raised a splinter on the back and several failed completely at the node when I use Frank's bamboo. I started cutting my own bamboo and have some very good Mandrake, probably why I like it so much, no failures in the last 20 years.

I suspect commercial bamboo quality is all over the place and the reason some have problems with it.

[JW_Halverson]

Might I suggest you consider one of the easiest backings out there....rawhide.

If that were my osage board, I would use that line you drew as my center line, then define the sides of the bow accordingly. I would add a very slight crown, no more than about a 1/16" because I like the aesthetics. Before I even started going for floor tiller, I would radius the corners on the back and lay down my rawhide using Titebond (matters not which one, but III has some benefit of being a moisture barrier). For giggles and camo, I might even use a combination of aniline dies (black, green, yellow, red, blue) to paint a random pattern before laying on the rawhide....thin rawhide from a deer or pronghorn antelope will gently mute the brightness of the aniline dye and leave a nice camouflage effect.

Don't go the route of the rawhide dog chew toys for backing, one never knows how thick it is or how it was treated before it got to making a chew. For that matter, I wouldn't feed it to a dog for the same danged reason! If you need help sourcing rawhide strips for the backing, drop me a note. I have some ready to go.

[Don W]

Might I suggest you consider one of the easiest backings out there....rawhide.

If that were my osage board, I would use that line you drew as my center line, then define the sides of the bow accordingly. I would add a very slight crown, no more than about a 1/16" because I like the aesthetics. Before I even started going for floor tiller, I would radius the corners on the back and lay down my rawhide using Titebond (matters not which one, but III has some benefit of being a moisture barrier). For giggles and camo, I might even use a combination of aniline dies (black, green, yellow, red, blue) to paint a random pattern before laying on the rawhide....thin rawhide from a deer or pronghorn antelope will gently mute the brightness of the aniline dye and leave a nice camouflage effect.

Don't go the route of the rawhide dog chew toys for backing, one never knows how thick it is or how it was treated before it got to making a chew. For that matter, I wouldn't feed it to a dog for the same danged reason! If you need help sourcing rawhide strips for the backing, drop me a note. I have some ready to go.

At 5/8" thick I'd have about a 30# now. I'd prefer something heavier

[JW_Halverson]

Thanks everyone. Maybe when I'm a little more confident in my tillering I'll spring for some bamboo. I took one of the hickory stave that was a bit oversized and ripped some hickory strips. There set off to dry.

I dunno, if you do a bendy handle 2X your draw length, 5/8" thick should give you a pretty decent draw weight. Ooh, and that would be a great candidate for sinew backing, too.

Whatever you choose, keep posting pics of your progress. We'll all be interested in how things go!