Heres the one I finished today...55" OHIO OSAGE 60#@28 Deer Rawhide backed ....Elk hide handle wrap. Real smooth sweet shooter !!

 

 

 

Good looking bow Jeff.

Very nice!

awesome job!

Well, real hingy about 8" out of the fades on both limbs and much too stiff from mid limb out.

I will send you a tillering gizmo if you want one. Using one will help getting your limbs bending perfectly.

http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001047#000000

You selfbow guys drive me nuts. I haven't got the patience nor the guts to try one. Great job.

wooo, 55" pulling to 28" maybe I'm old fashion but I dont build any osage bows under 62" for a 28" draw, just to much can happen and in not a good way  

I tend to agree with Eric. Though the bow is nicely fashioned!
Still, I would like to see a full draw profile and an unstrung profile picture,,, and some of them primitive arrows you make!!
Erics gizmo is really a good suggestion as it does help in a big way.
Keep up the posts!

Thanks Guys for your thoughts ..... Good to hear them ! Primitive arrows are "MY THING" but I make a few bows over the years ..there just fun to do.

Nice bow, Jeff. Joe, is right about the gizmo, it helps more than a lot! Love the looks of osage.
Stan

Yea I just finished my first osage bow and I can see why people love this wood so much for bow making. Mine is 59 inches long pulling 60 lbs at 26 inches and like yours it feel real good to shoot.

deadahead  lets see a pic .. You hunting with it this year?

I will have to borrow a dig camera, as I do not have one, and get a pic posted later. Yes, it one of two selfbows I plan on hunting with it this year. I just have put together some arrows and I am good to go.

Nice Job. It looks like a Real Indian style bow, the Osage tribe here in Missouri would be thumping their war drums and chanting praise to you for building such a fine weapon!      

I just built myself one also, mine is 68" from Tip/Tip and it's a sweet shooter also, much, much smoother than any recurve I have ever pulled back and I love it. It might not be as quick, but the smoothness more than makes up for it.

Sadly mine has a splinter starting beside a knot that I couldn't avoid in my upper limb and I only hope I can repair it before it goes any further. I had big dreams of killing a deer this year with my own home made longbow, and home made traditional arrows.

BTW- I'm sure mine didn't tiller perfect either, but I'm going to make myself a Gizmo before I build my 2nd one, and I've got plenty of staves to practice on.    

...I'm not looking for the perfect bow.... The staves I use are snakey...plenty of knots.. twisted (like me..lol). I don't use any power tools. The way I look at it.. when the native americans made theres they didn't much care on the perfect bow but one that didn't take all there time to make ..but one that killed there food they needed. I do like seeing all your perfect bows on here. I'm amazed at the workmanship in them. But for me ... What I do is alright..and kills plenty of meat !!!  Thanks for all your support and thoughts. ..Jeff

thats cool jeff. jeff