And so it begins, my first attempt at making a self bow. My first attempt at making any bow in fact. Total rookie with a desire to fling arrows from a bow that was released from it's tree form by my own hand. I have read TBB I, II, and III. Soon to tackle IV but gotta make some sawdust now before I explode.
Here is my first stave. Picked it up at UBM from Kent Brinkley. He was a great help. I told him I was dead nervous about chasing rings. He took me out in the parking lot, pulled out a stave and his draw knife and gave me my first lesson right there. Confidence climbed a notch. We picked out two staves, one with good thick rings for #1 and one with tighter rings and nice reflex for #2. He also gave me some extra tools I needed out of his own toolbox so I could get started sooner. Great guy. Thanks Kent !
Let's get started...
Nice thick rings. Going down to the first thick ring, but going one ring at a time for practice..
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0527.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0530.jpg)
Chasing the first one. This ring is fairly think and thick on one side thin on the other. Not going to keep it as my back but used it as practice for chasing my first ring. Didn't scrape out the dips, but got the feel for the draw knife.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0532.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0533.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0534.jpg)
Through the thin layer and down to the ring I want to keep for my back.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0536.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0539.jpg)
Cleaned up pretty good. The flash sure shows the early wood left behind.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0540.jpg)
Trying to figure out how to lay things out. The stave is a bit to narrow for the dimensions given in TBB I, and has a wicked little S-curve at one end making it difficult to obtain the 67". So I need to go more narrow and hence thicker than the template in TBB I, as well as decide to go shorter or face a bit of a twisted sister for bow #1. I can get a fairly straight 64" or moderate twist at 65-66". Decisions...decisions..decisions...
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0542.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0541.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0543.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0544.jpg)
I hate making those decisions. To me laying out the bow is the toughest part. Good Luck.
Looking good. That is a nice piece of osage.
Leave that beautiful curve in that bow. You can line up your tips later. Don't ask me how I have not done that yet. I am working on my first Osage now also. I have be trying to take some deflex out of mine, but a nice curve like that would stay. Other will give you some will help you out for sure as long as you keep the PICs and questions coming.
Happy Building,
Kelly
thats a good lookin stave. just follow the snakey grain with your center line of your profile and finish the profile to the end . the snakey portion of that limb doest bend that much. most of the work in the limb is between the fades to 2/3 out. you'll see. ruddy
Welcome to the Osage club. This is only the beginning, once you get that first one under your belt there's no turning back.
Just use your information from reading the BB's as a guidline, but no bow or stave layout is ever going to be exactly the same. That's what gives each one it's on unique character. We live by breaking the rules and going outside the box. Let the stave tell you what it wants to be and if you listen carefully you will end up with a shooting machine. :thumbsup:
Thanks for sharing.
NICE, love the curve, as Kelly said, leave it in. I am working on my first also, getting real close now. You will love it, and hate it all at the same time. As SEMO said, no turning back, I am looking forward to my next one already. Have fun and keep pictures coming.
You did well. My site has buidalongs. jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/
Definitely leave that "curvy" tip full length. From the pictures it looks like it will still track the string down the center when strung. Right now, as you have it laid out, your tip will be slightly right of center when strung, causing you problems with string alignment.
Also, your center line should follow the grain, as mentioned above. Here's a link to a simple way to do it by PatB. I also use this method, as do many of the other bowyers on here. It's fast, simple, and accurate:
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=002947#000000
Great start and good looking piece of osage :)
Makin sawdust is the best part.
Looks great already.
like 4est said , lay it out according to the grain , and leave that tip. it looks like it still lines up perfectly.
Thnx for the encouragement and advice. Will likely need more of each as this project continues.
I have been watching KellyG, 1oldbowguy, and others and reading as many posts and comments as possible along the way. George, been to your site several time. Lots of good info and inspiration there. thnx! Semo_hunter, I am glad your watching this thread. I enjoy the tips you share.
Leaving the complete S-curve in the end of the stave would make the finished bow 72 in. Is it possible to make it too long? 64 in vs 72in?
Brian,
How wide is your layout at the fades, I was thinking both stave's were pushing 3" wide and you should have plenty of width. Everyone likes differnt widths & designs, but I feel 1 1/2" wide at the fades is plenty of wood when using Osage. Looks like you are well on your way, Keep me updated!!
Kent
Tradstick. Thanks! Stave 2 is a good 3 inches through the center 2/3s. Stave #1 (this one) is a shade over 2 but undercuts quickly is some spots. I am planning 1.5 inches at the fades and all should be well.
4est. trekker Thanks for the tip/link on the centering tool. I made one up and it sure helped.
I re-drew my layout lines - stretching out the whole bow to 72 inches. As discussed above, I could shorten to 64in., shift my goal of 66 in. down toward the S-curve, or stretch the whole thing out and utilize the entire stave. Here are some pics utilizing the whole stick. I drew the limbs 1.5 inches wide from the fades and down the limb 17inches, then tapered out 12 more inches to 5/8 at the tip. I know the tips will end up more narrow/tapered but I just drew them rounded off for layout purposes.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0545.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0546.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0547.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0552.jpg)
There is a slight degree of twist in the stave at the S-curve end. Will that be correctable with heat?
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0554.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0553.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0555.jpg)
Nice piece of osage and a very good start!
Well some more shaping today. All done with a sureform rasp and spoke shave. I was real surprised how quickly these work the wood down. Not as quickly as a band saw... but I don't have one of those. That is OK though. I got to spend some real quality time with my stave. She is starting to look less like a tree wedge and more like a bow blank.
Can't get into a tight concave with the sureform or spokeshave and my rasps kinda suck... time to place an order. I think I'll get some Nicholson rasps, probably both the #49 and #50.
The stave has a nice bit of reflex.
Still more work ahead.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0556.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0558.jpg)
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(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0560.jpg)
:thumbsup:
Looks to be going good.
Take your time. It will turn out.
At 72" that thing will draw really smooth. Thats pretty long for osage though. Osage is really heavy wood so you'll probably need to narrow your tips quite a bit at that length or it could get a little sluggish and a lot of handshock. Yes you can correct twist with heat but that twist doesnt look that bad to me.
64" to 66" is more reasonable for your bow IMO. Like Okie64 mentioned, Osage is very heavy, and not to mention, just too elastic for a 72" bow.....Art
I agree with Art. I would leave the nocks 1 in wide and the handle full width until you string it up at least. Jawge
I am looking at Gary Davis' DVD about building osage bows. He likes double your draw length 28"x 2= 56 + 10"= 66" Adding 10" to double your draw length is a length that he likes as a minimum for an osage bow. I think I'll give this type of layout a try on the next one.
Looking good so far. Nice thick rings.
Stan
Ya.. I lost alot of sleep over that last night. I knew inside that was just not the right call. I left plenty of room to slide the handle up or down (just in case I changed my mind). So now I just need to decide 64" from bottom up (w/o curve) or 66" from top down (keeping curve).
I think 66" is my ideal length, but I'd also prefer not dealing with an S-curve on the first bow.
I know.. ya'll like the curve ;)
"I know.. ya'll like the curve "
Not me, I'd want the cleanest, straightest piece of wood I could find for my bows. Curves are best left where they can be better appreciated.
:readit: :goldtooth:
Everyting is looking good..real good but i'm with Art B I don't like the curve either. I like my staves to be clean and straight. I think the craftsman ship that it takes to make a bow with curves and holes is something to appreciate though. Good luck on the rest of your work looks like your doing good so far I look foward to seeing the finished product
I agree and ..... disagree,too!
That piece of hedge is so consitent in ring thickness, early to late wood, and clean!
Just don't look at the curves, turn away! :thumbsup:
Thanks all. Honored to have you with me on this one. Feels comforting not to be going alone.
Back to work for a week, so progress will likely be slow. I'll have time time to look it over everyday, plan, ponder, and dream a little, but probably make few piles of shavings for the next week.
Will update when anything worth while takes place.
Got to spend more time today working on my little project. Mostly worked the belly of the limb down to a consistent thickness. I shortened her to 64" so she should end up 62" NtN. Laid her out using Dean Torges "Hunting the Osage Bow" as a guide. Started to form in only the outer limits of the handle.
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0561.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0563.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0562.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0565.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0564.jpg)
So, what do you think. Am I ready for this step?
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0582.jpg)
The caul has 3 inches or reflex for a 72" bow, so at 64" it should give about 2.5 inches reflex initially.
Looks ready to me! How thick are those limbs? That's one prime piece of Osage you have there, so treat it nice. No pressure now! Get busy.........Art
Thanks Art. The limbs are 3/4" thick right now. I know they will need to thin down considerably but was not sure how thin would be too thin before I put some heat to her. I can certainly thin them down more before bending her if needed.
I'll pick up a heat gun tomorrow, and barring any advice otherwise, I'll get my first taste of bending and straightening. I only need a bit of straightening on one tip.
Lookin real nice!!
Brian, she's looking great! I look forward to seeing the rest of this journey into selfbowdom...? What a fine piece of wood!
Nice job so far. Looks like your doing well.
Stan
Just rub a little olive oil or veggie oil on the limbs and start at one fade and heat and clamp.
Plenty thin enough to heat and bend. I don't know what kind of poundage your going after but your gonna need that to sneak up on that tiller. When you do get her bending just remember not to pull it past your intended draw weight and if you do see a problem develope during tillering such as a hinge or anything don't pull it past that draw until you get it corrected. This will help minimize undue set and you'll be able to keep some reflex in your finished bow or at least finish out with it straight.
Good luck with your new addiction.
Stiks
Well, had my first run with the form, a heat gun, and the clamps last night. Lessons learned; slow and steady heating, keep the gun farther away than you think, and clamps absorb heat too. Yes, I got a little color on the Osage ( and a little red spot on my hand). No burns but some lightly toasted edges. Most of the reflex held. Made some good progress on straightening , but a little more limb alignment is needed.
Should I continue this process until she is as close to what I want as I can get her... or would it be beneficial to start working down the tapers and get the limbs flexing a little? Then fine tune her when she is a little thinner...
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0583.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0584.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0586.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0588.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0589.jpg)
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(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0592.jpg)
Coming along nicely. Take it on down to floor tiller - that is getting it bending slightly and evenly with the tip on the floor and force on the handle as you look down the limb. After floor tiller I do final adjustment on the cull for tip alignment. Nice looking piece of wood and good work so far. Do not be afraid to ask questions all the way through the process, its how I built my first one from scratch right here on TG.
Thanks Shaun,
I'll start working them down today.
Looks good like osage should, Be1007. Some bowyers like working with the wood as is ( as much as possible). Some like it straight. Either approach works. Jawge
Well after a few weeks of way too much work and spring break with my family, I have managed to get back to work on this project.
Once I got the limbs bending a bit floor tillering, I filed in some nocks, made a tillering string whos stretching has frustrated me to no end - (next time FF). I put it on the tillering tree to get a look see... but doing the majority of work with a tillering stick.
She's not bending alot yet... I am just trying to go slow slow slow
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0663.jpg)
(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/bel007/Osage%20selfbow%201A/IMG_0664.jpg)
Brian your looking good. How much did the scales read in this pic? It looks like you could shorten your string up some, just above your handle an inch or so before pulling your cord. With the relfex you put in it your tips are moving a fair bit already. If you wait too long to shorten it up you take a chance of an under weght bow. It sneaks up fast!
PD - you're right on the money. I have not been able to brace it yet as the limbs are still pretty stout and that &#%$ string is stretching too much. This is w a long string on. 35# in first pic 40# in second. Still need to reduce both limbs, just wanted to be sure I didnt have a hinge already. Thanks for the input !
Looking good!
Man, Brian, that looks really good! Wish my osage stave looked that good.
Stan
looking good Brian, can't wait to handle the finished product.
Lovely piece of Osage and you're doing a fine job so far...
Thanks guys,
Back working this week so will make little more progress for a while. Will update w more pics when any note worthy changes.
Careful Gary.. you may push that post count into double digits :biglaugh: