Last fall I recieved a couple osage staves from a friend I've never met from N. Mexico. He says he got them from another buddy in Oklahoma...good connections for friends. I never asked for these, they just "showed up" in the mail during hunting season. This friend and I occasionally keep in contact via email, and he has been at this bowhunting thing for some time...anyway, he figured I could "make something" of these...and so here is the results.
The first stave to arrive has a story of sorts. Said to have come from the same area that Jay Massey grew up, it spent (the story I heard) several decades as a fencepost, and then was stored for another couple decades. It was well cared for before storage, and carefully reduced cleanly, so as to prevent side checks and cracks along it's length. It is the darkest osage stave I've ever seen, having all those years to gracefully age.
The next stave was similarly cared for, though not as old, but well seasoned just the same. Both staves were some of the tightest growth rings I've ever chased, and took me some time to reach a pristine back. The "younger" stave, after splitting from it's sister....needed some propeller corrections, and both got the tips "flipped" a bit. Since both were so tight ringed, I opted to back with rawhide. Both bows came out about 66 inches, nock to nock, and around mid-sixties for draw weight. The "younger" stave was made into a bow for my friend Tim Roberts....and I decided to keep and use the Oldy-goldy for myself this season. Anyway...here is a pic essay of sorts. Enjoy..and good luck everyone with their seasons!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2168.jpg)
Note the contrast in the wood of the "old" stave after I removed some...also, the fence staple holes.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2180.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2173.jpg)
Here's the "younger" stave, after chasing a ring, then dividing into two staves. Also a cross section of the tight rings.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2182.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2185.jpg)
A couple pics of my dry heat and twist method of removing propeller and adding some reflex into the tips....kind of a "figure as you go, style".
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2196.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2198.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2191.jpg)
And now, jumping ahead, a few pics of Tim with his bow....it turned out to be a real shooter, with beautiful tiller. He was happy....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2236.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2237.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2235.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/photo3.jpg)
Finally a couple of the "oldy goldy"....I should have named it that! Anyways...you can see how the oxidized wood bled deep into the center of the stave. It has a bit more character, but shoots like a dream. I am surprised how well it took to the dry heat treat on the tips, and very little string follow. A real nice shooter, and it should bring home a bit of venison for me this year.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2252.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2239.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2245.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2255.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2253.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2259.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/bowbuilds/CIMG2257.jpg)
Wow nice job on that roller coster!
Beautiful work there !
great job
Nice work Mark. Osage is the tops but well aged osage is even better! d;^)
:thumbsup: Cool...I like the wavy ones...lol!
That's some good stuff Mark/Tim. Real beauties the both of-them. :thumbsup:
What did you guys do with the Rawhide...stain???
Looks great!!
Hey Randy...and thanks all! Yes, the rawhide is stained. I used some minwax water based stain I got from Lowes, I think. You can get a number of colors, and is a great choice for rawhide...bambooo....hickory...anything that is usually tough to stain with oil based.
Very nice bows Mark... I like the finish work great Job !!
Very nice!
That shop looks familiar...
You are certainly a craftsman, Mark. I hope you can christen that piece of osage on a Montana antelope. Good luck!
Great job on those bows Mark. I will be looking forward to seeing those bows show up in a bunch of hero pics. Good luck hunting to you and Tim.