I have two sucker staves. They are at least 2 inches wide and plenty long. I was thinking of making a couple of D bows from them. Anyone have experence making bows keeping some of the sap wood on osage. They are not very deep in cross section, and have a pretty high crown, thought I might try and make them similar to a yew bow with some sap wood left on. Would you then also back?
This is the Trade Bow I just sent off to Kenny M. It was from a 2" diameter osage pole. I removed the bark but not the sapwood. I did add the rawhide backing for protection.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/TGtradebowdonec2012004.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/TGtradebowdone2012001.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/almostdone.jpg)
This is what it looked like just before starting the bow...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/2inchosagepole004.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/2inchosagepole002.jpg)
Shortly after I got the osage pole I cut it in half, lengthwise with my bandsaw, put spacers between the 2 halves and bound them together with twine. I did this to give the wood good air circulation and keep the reflex and twisting from getting out of hand. I sealed both ends and down the belly about 4" and I left the bark on the pole until just before building the bow.
Thanks Pat
That is what I was thinking. Bark off then D-bow with backing. Yours looks like a white wood bow. Maybe I will make one of each with the two staves and see which shoots best.
Thanks again. Did you get to try those trade points? I took a nice little doe with one this past fall.
Wow I read the title and thought someone had tried a fish skin backing that I hadn't tried yet. Got all excited over nothing! :help:
Hey Keenan, you can always go catch a couple of suckers. :goldtooth:
Dave.
I'm really diggin that bow Pat!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I just thought it was another bow for me. :bigsmyl:
But let us know how it works out.
I was diggin it as well Kenny,,,,,,,,until it went to the wrong door,,,,,,,, :laughing: :laughing: Just kidding,very happy for you
Great Kenny. Makes me feel good! Did you ever check the draw weight. It might be heavier than marked.
I haven't , but will tomorrow. My scale is 3# off too, according to the local pro shops digital. (and a couple others)
Sapling Sisters
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/Osagetree/Self%20Bows/Saplingsisters8.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/Osagetree/Self%20Bows/Saplingsisters3.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/Osagetree/Self%20Bows/Saplingsisters.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/Osagetree/Self%20Bows/Saplingtips1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/Osagetree/Self%20Bows/DSC_00631.jpg)
WOW!!!
I'd forgotten about those two bows, Joe
hey joe - did those heavier tips contribute at all to any handshock- on such slim, light in hand mass bows.
they sure do look really neat!!
hey jack have fun im out there on that job sorry i never made it down cuz of the snow keep me posted bro lookin good brock
I couldn't tell if it increased hand shock any.
Looks good Osagetree you and Pat both recurve tips I am going for good old eastern woods bow (D bow). Of course the staves dont always seem to know what I want but what they want.
And who knows they could end up with a fish backing, carp not sucker though. That is if and when spring gets here.
Will try and add pictures as I go.
This is probably what was used for the Eastern Woodland style bows.
Sure leave the sapwood if you don't have enough heartwood. One of the best bows I ever made was from an osage sucker. Jawge
Here are the two sucker staves with the sealer still on. They are not as long as I thought. 63 inches, I would prefer the d bow to be 68 or so. Sorry for poor pictures there was a lot of light coming from window in garage/shop.
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n274/JackSkinner/Bows%202012/Bow2012005-1.jpg)
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Scraped off sealer and some inner bark and laid out bows. One about 1.5 wide with slightly narrower handle. Other 2 inch with narrow stiff handle like a white wood bow. Will probably take down to 1 3/4 or so before finished.
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n274/JackSkinner/Bows%202012/Bow2012004.jpg)
Didnt take long to get down to lines
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n274/JackSkinner/Bows%202012/Bow2012012.jpg)
Thinned up and about ready to heat and straighten a little. See sap wood, thinned it some with spoke shave on wider bow.
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n274/JackSkinner/Bows%202012/Bow2012016.jpg)
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n274/JackSkinner/Bows%202012/Bow2012010.jpg)
After straightening I will add rawhide backing to both.
I must admit I've never used heat on a sapling or limb. Just the natural shape of the wood.
This is interesting. Hope to see what you come up with. Keep up the great work.
They both have good set back but both also twist some going to straighten just a little to get string to track more towards center, or just left of handle. May or maynot work we will see.
I used dry heat and oil on the osage sapling bow I made for the bow trade. It worked well. I would rather control the backset rather than let Mother Nature do it. Sometimes she likes to play tricks!
Yep Pat I found that out on a log a friend gave me. Lots of set back got one good stave frome log but with all the set back went down to a 20lb bow before it came to tiller and then the lower limb twisted on me.
Using dry heat (heat gun) and working on fist limb on d bow will have to do other tonight. Only need to work one limb on flat bow. My set up for straightening. Also have form made from design friend brought back from Mo Jam.
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n274/JackSkinner/Bows%202012/heat.jpg)
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n274/JackSkinner/Bows%202012/heat2.jpg)
You did a real nice job on that pole bow there Pat, I had no idea you could use osage saplings. I guess it goes to show that there's a bow in just about anything if you know how to work it right, and you surely do have a knack for it.
Joe, you fall into that same category. Very nice work as usual.
Looks like you got a good start there Jack, I'll be watching this to see how they turn out.
After a little heat and straighening this d bow is tracking a string pretty good. It has a little wiggle but string is laying thru handle. I am happy with it will start tiller this weekend and add rawhide backing.
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n274/JackSkinner/Bows%202012/stringtrack1.jpg)
You won't know how the string tracks until you actually brace the bow. I make decisions only after first brace unless the stave is totally out of whack.
I have only noticed that with one bow so far Pat it was the stave with a lot of natural set back. However I will put a long string on these two early in the tillering process just to be sure, seeings how these are my first sucker bows with sap left on. Makes sense to adjust for twist and what-not as early in the tiller as possible. Most of my bows have been from realitivly straight staves, heating and straightening is new process for me.
By to way Pat do you tend to tiller to brace height before backing? Or just back and tiller?
Tillered d-bow to about 4inch brace. Tips sill thick may need a little more bend toward tips. But good start I think. Did not start tiller on flat bow.
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n274/JackSkinner/Bows%202012/4intiller.jpg)
Both the dbow and flat bow with rawhide backings glued up one with sting other ace wrap to help hold in place
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n274/JackSkinner/Bows%202012/rawhide.jpg)
Here is what they look like couple days after drying
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n274/JackSkinner/Bows%202012/rawhide3.jpg)
can one still straighten with heat once you have the rawhide on?
I have not tried heating once rawhide is on. Someone else will have to answer that one. Thats why I try to heat and straighten before backing. These two look a little twisted but a string placed from tips runs thru handle. Of course like Pat said in earlier post I wont know for sure how the string will run until I brace with long string. I hope it wont take much ajustment to limbs to get the string to run either down the left side of handle or down center. I dont worry to much what the limbs do inbetween the handle as long as the string runs within the handle, think of a snakey bow.
Well make enough bows and you are going to see this.
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n274/JackSkinner/Bows%202012/BROKE3.jpg)
Had this sucker bow to about a 4inch brace on my tiller tree. It was still a little stiff out toward the outer limb. I had tried to string it but it just took the string I had flat. Weight was still way to much. So I was taking weight off and then tried to string again around 3 to 4 inch brace (long string) and it snaped. Probably my fault pushed the stinging maybe a little to fast didnt have the whole limb bending the way I wanted. Maybe I was counting my chickens to soon, I was already seeing me drawing this little bow on a spring turkey. I think maybe the stave seemed a little dry but that could just be an excuse on my part. I dont have a moister meter. Left these staves in the garage for a year before working them not my norm. Well I will see what happens with the flat bow from the sucker staves it is next.
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n274/JackSkinner/Bows%202012/FLATBOW.jpg)