2nd bow finished-Osage D Bow

[scrub-buster]

Here is my 2nd bow, an osage D bow that I have been working on.  It is 65" long and 50# @ 28".  This bow started out as a split off of the bottom of a stave.  I was amazed at how little of a piece of osage could make a bow.  I am thinking about putting on some blacksnake skins so I can use it for deer season this fall.  I messed up and made a glossy finish on it.  This will be my first "traditional" deer season and I can't wait to kill a deer with a bow that I made.  

***Can I use TBIII to glue the skins on, or would hide glue be better.  Also, I have no idea where to get hide glue from.

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

[scrub-buster]

I forgot to say thanks for the help that I have  got from the members here.  I was really hung up on the handle.  I have never worked with leather before.  I would get the bow out, look at it, look at the leather and then put it back.  A real big thanks to  Jawge  for the section on his site for making handles.

[bigcountry]

Thats not a bad looking tiller.  I am fixin to make me a D-bow soon.  Dano's posts on the D-bow raised my interest.  

I would use TBIII for skins myself.

[Dano]

Great job, tiller looks excellent. Yep TB III works great for skins. Good luck this season.

[ALW]

Very nice bow.  If you put a glossy finish on it you could always just buff it with steel wool or add a couple coats of a satin finish to it.  That would dull it down.  But again, very nice looking bow.

Not to take away from your post, but how exactly do you get a belly split without tearing up the wood?  Does it really split along a ring that easily?  Just wondering.

Aaron

[bigcountry]

Can someone give me a good layout for a D-Bow like this?  I was thinking rounded belly, 1.25" wide to 1.5" wide from midlimb to miblimb and tapering.  

Or do you want to narrow the handle area some and make a tad thicker?  Semibend?

[Dano]

Mark, the few I've made were 1 1/4" to mid limb, oval belly's. You can kinda cheat a bit and move the string off center just a bit to help arrow clearance.

[bjansen]

Excellent job! Great fit and finish on that bow.

[Apex Predator]

Yep, that's a winner!

[bigcountry]

Thanks Dano.  I guess 1.5" would cause the bow to be too thin near the handle.

[scrub-buster]

Originally posted by Dano:
Great job, tiller looks excellent. Yep TB III works great for skins. Good luck this season.

Do you still soak them in water first?

[scrub-buster]

Originally posted by ALW:
Very nice bow.  If you put a glossy finish on it you could always just buff it with steel wool or add a couple coats of a satin finish to it.  That would dull it down.  But again, very nice looking bow.

Not to take away from your post, but how exactly do you get a belly split without tearing up the wood?  Does it really split along a ring that easily?  Just wondering.

Aaron

I just used a hatchet and a hammer to split it.  This was the belly section that came off of a larger stave.  It didn't follow a single ring, it crossed about 3 or 4.

[Dano]

Yep soak em for about 20 minutes, then lay them between a towel to sop up the excess water.

[scrub-buster]

Originally posted by Dano:
Yep soak em for about 20 minutes, then lay them between a towel to sop up the excess water.

Thanks for the info.  I have a partial skin that I might try on a scrap piece first.  Should I sand all of the spar urethane off first?

[Dano]

No need to sand it all off, just rough it up with 100 grit paper.

[stretch2]

great job on the bow, looks good i am jealous of all you guys who has that kind of wood so close to them

[George Tsoukalas]

You are welcome. That's an awesome bow, scrub. Tiller is great! Jawge

[scrub-buster]

I just put some snake skins on it.  Any suggestions for a finish to put over them.

[Jesse Peltan]

Use tru oil finish. You can get a container for 6$ form 3 rivers.