Who  wears short shorts? Kelly wears short shorts! Haha looks good so far.

i dont think he had shorts on bud...and i actually was going to post something th first post about the legs , but it sounded kinda iffy for a "gentlemans" forum...


looking good on that stave kel . you plan on using an abrams as a heat source for straightening ?

-hov

One of the whole thing
 
Ok I am ready to learn Ole masters of the yellow wood, hear my plea and give me your sage and wise advise. Pretty Please
Ha no leg this time.
Thanks,
Kelly

Sorry for that the network froze here,

Kelly, now it's time to remove wood from the belly and get the limbs to floor tiller stage. Draw a line down both sides of each limb about 3/4" from the back and reduce the belly to that line keeping in mind the fades and handle. I usually take it down at about a 45 deg angle from belly to the drawn line then flatten the belly and check floor tiller. At this stage you should hardly be able to bend the limbs. Now draw these lines again about 5/8" down from the back and repeat as before...then 1/2" if necessary. Check the floor tiller bend and when you get to 4" of tip movement cut temperary nocks in each tip and get the tiller tree and long string out. For temporary nocks I use a chainsaw file and cut grooves across the side of the tip(about 3/4" down) about 1/2 the file thickness, just enough to hold the string. Be sure your long string(I use para cord with a slip knot in each end)is just long enough to go over both tips.
 At this point when you put the bow on the tiller tree you may have to clamp it in place. With the twist in the limbs and the tips not lined up yet the stave will twist on the tree. Once you get to low brace height you won't need to clamp it for the rest of the tillering.

kelly i think you are doin great. mr pat wont steer ya wrong, i see what he is talkin about. im following along and learning from you as well.im very curious as to how the twist will come out. keep up the good work. carry on seargent. ruddy

A lot accomplished this weekend, Kel, and coming along nicely. I don't envy you that twist. Reminds me of a Holly stave I was wrassling with a couple years back.

-hov

Do you have a heatgun?

Steam works real well for me to take twist out. I use my fish cooker and a big blue canning kettle. Lay the stave over the boiling water and cover with aluminum foil. I just did one tonight and normally depending on thickness of the bow blank 30-45min. is usually enough. Then I clamp it to my shaving beam and use bar clamps or ratchet straps according to what I need to do to it.

Course I don't have a heat gun either, so steam is my only option and so far it's worked like a champ.

i would love to see a vid of that semo. ruddy

me too

Oh now you guys tell me, I just did one but didn't video it.    
I'll do that next time I straighten a stave, and it's real easy if you have a fish cooker (propane) and a big kettle.

John,
No heat gun.
If I have to use heat at some point I was either just going to wait till summer and set it out side. LOL or look at making and alcohol burner, or even try to see if a little space heater worked.
Steam was also an option. I have been eyeing some old paint cans to boil water in.
Well I will get more wood off and see if tillering will help.
SEMO_HUNTER,
After your excellent spoke shave video, you know everyone is going to want you to do videos from now one. You might as well video you next build from start to finish.
Do it like a cooking show. Here we have a tree. start to cut the tree. next thing you are on the felled tree. now you do x, next thing we know you have pulled along out from under the counter that has x done. You know how the cooking shows do it. Put uncooked food in set timer and pull a done dish out of the next oven. Heck maybe we should start  a TV show that does just that. Hit up the bowyers around the country making bows there specialty.
I would hit the Osage whisper first then move down to the self bowyer master just south west of Ashville. would have to hit AL to get an exclusive on the Gizmo and its many uses.
make my way across  country hitting every bowyer and there style. End Up at Dicks sooner or later. Get in some good arrow smiting too. I bet at least 25000 would tune in each week. To see where we stopped and who we visited. Maybe even take a few of the shows creation out on a little walk in the fields.
Oh there I go day dreaming again.
Thanks all for the input and Advise,

looks complicated

Boy Kelly, you really may be onto something there! Kind of like the guy who goes around the world eating all different kinds of strange food. Except we would be going around the country to get a taste of different bows each week. Now you got me dreaming! Get your butt back home from Iraq and lets do it!

That twist will have to be taken out at some point. I don't know what you have at your disposal over there, but I know it's not very much? If there's any way you can get ahold of a big kettle and some way to boil water in it, your in business. If not, I really don't know what else to do?
You will have to tiller it down some before you can do that though. It needs to be fairly close to a bow before steaming, it will take less time and be much easier to get the results you want.

The one I did yesterday was just above the stage of getting much flex in the limbs. Maybe 1-2" of flex in each limb and I steam to get the bow in shape before I go any further. Mainly because I'm still a little new at this and it's easier for me to tiller if the tips are lined up. I'm not a master at it like Pat or Osage Whisperer, because I've only been at this for less than a year.
On the other hand, I have had to straighten every single bow that I've built, so I reckon I am fairly good at straightening these buggers?

I sure know my dad watches me with amazement.   :D  
At first I was paranoid because he kept staring at me, as it turns out he was just really enthralled with watching me work a bow stave over.

That's got to be a real good feeling, Semo!

BTW, re heating and bending:  Don't know if I am mis-remembering, or what, but seems like, when I was into this a lot (about 2 years back), a great deal was said by those in the know on here about steam for green wood and heat for dry (aged) wood, (or my memory may have it backwards), when I was doing some straightening and bending. Has this changed, or is it just one of those "it all depends" things?

I think there is a preferrence depending on the stage of dryness. Right now my only option is steam cause I don't have a heat gun and can't afford one. Until I can get my hands on one, I'll just have to work with steam or maybe put it over top of the wood stove? I haven't tried that yet.

Kelly is in even worse shape than anybody way over there in a sandbox, he has nearly zero options over there.

Fully understand (you know, been there, done that - LOL). I luckily have one of those (tile remover) heat guns and wish I was in a position to loan it to either or both of you. I will be able to loan it to Ruddy if he needs it. I did my steam heat (in the green Holly work) same as Semo did (but over the kitchen range); stave/bow over a large pot of boiling water, hooded with tinfoil. Worked well.

Kel, if you are near an electronics/comm gear repair unit/facility, they might have some kind of a heat gun (drying/blowing out gear that got wet) you could borrow. Also if any of our lady warriors have a "hot" hair dryer (blow type) with them you might could con it to use for awhile - (might make a friend too, if permissable - LOL) Just a couple thoughts. Blow Dryers are not as hot as heat guns but can sometimes do the trick.

Thanks SEMO and Bernie I when the time comes I will just have to get a little creative that's all. Come on Bernie just fly on over here let me use it for a few days and you can take it with you on the way back.
SEMO I get back and get the Ole international up and running. Put a camper shell on her grab the camping gear throw some bow working tools in it. You grab that camera and we will go harass I mean document every bowyer on the bench LOL.
Erick what looks complicated my day dreaming or the whole self bow making. It is hard to post the pics from photo than to do most of it. It is just overwhelming when you start, I am going to what, with what? Then you remove the sap wood and you start hitting the firsts signs of yellow and you hear, feel and see it. Ya think if it does like this down the whole ring it will be easy and it is, until a pesky knot gets in the way.
I am watching the clock to day, can't wait to get it strapped down and get some wood chips going.
Thanks
Kelly