Design input - Osage borer

[Kidder]

Mates, I’ve got a 54” Osage stave that is about 1.5” wide. The only problem with it is it has a borer hole that goes straight in about half way through. I cannot get below it and have a bow left, so I have to deal with it. I believe it stops after going more or less straight in through the grain from back to belly and doesn’t run with the grain down or across the limb. The good news is it is where I would place the handle. My initial plan was to build a bendy handle. Would this pose a problem with this particular design or would I be better off building a stiff handled sinew backed bow? Thoughts appreciated.

[ShorterJ]

A stiff handle would probably be safer, but you might be just fine making a bendy handle.  If a bendy handle is what you want then I would say go for it.  Maybe you could fill the hole with some kind of glue or back it?

[M2A]

I think it would be better to go with the stiff handle if you think you have enough lenght to get to full draw. However if it has relative flat grain maybe flp it over and make a backwards bow, maybe tiller out all the damage, if I thought I could do this then I'd try for a bend through bow for sure.
Mike   

[Eric Krewson]

It depends, if it is a wood wasp larva hole I would fil it with sawdust and superglue and forget about it. If it a pin hole sized powder post beetle hole I would make a non-bending handle section.

I saw a guy at a tournament shooting an osage bow that had at least 20 wood wasp larva holes and trails in the back of his bow. He said he made it just to see if it would hold up, he had been shooting the bow for several years with no problems.

This is what powder post beetles do when they get below the surface of the wood.