49 inch osage

[Axes bows n knives]

Thanks for the tip vanillabear    demon hole knot

[Axes bows n knives]

[Axes bows n knives]

  getting down to the first heartwood ring. it was thick enough to use as back

[Axes bows n knives]

 left some wood around these larger knot areas.

[Axes bows n knives]

[Axes bows n knives]

 these are the white stripes I was talking about. they are alot clearer in person. I am positive they are not sap wood because they are deeper than most of the back but they never really stuck out until I sanded it down with 220 grit.

[vanillabear?]

[Axes bows n knives]

Thank you.

[Axes bows n knives]

                                      bow after poly

[Axes bows n knives]

                                  More bow after poly

[Axes bows n knives]

  Hump in the stave

[Axes bows n knives]

   Knots after poly. the largest one will be in the handle area on finished bow

[Axes bows n knives]

[Axes bows n knives]

       The largest knot that I did not leave an island of sap wood aorund. Do you guys think this will cause a problem?

[Axes bows n knives]

   close up of the beast

[Osagetree]

Flip the tips and sinew back the bow and you'll have a heck of a heavy weight plains horsebow that'll kill a buffalo at 15yrds.
Believe it or not,,, one of my first osage selfbows was only 42" @ drew 55lbs @ 19". It was not backed and would put a feild point thru 1/4" plywood at 15yrs.

[Axes bows n knives]

Does the back ring of a selfbow have to be perfectly smooth? mine has some parts in it where it is kindof scratched out and ridgid in small areas? I am probobly going to sinew back but if I didnt do you think those scratches would cause the bow to break?

[ranger 3]

You can not violate the back ring period

[Axes bows n knives]

I took a razor blade and scrapes all the small scratches out of he back and got it super smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. I am going to recurve the last 4 inches on each limb. Do you think I should leave the back nice and wide, it is between 2 and 1/2 inches to 3 inches on the midlimb areas the bottom limb is slightly wider and it has a hump with a little twist in it. Should I leave it that width or minimize the larger limb or both?

[broketooth]

you did a very good job at makin that ring look pristine.  good luck with the rest of your plan. im interested in how it turns out. ruddy