shooting in/final sanding weight loss question

[adeeden]

I'm just curious what the average weight you lose for shooting in and the final sanding on an osage bow?

Got my second one real close but it's not quite there yet and am trying to decide how much more weight I want to take off before hitting my drawlength and shooting it in.

The last one ended up quite a bit heavier than I really wanted and am hoping this one is a bit lighter.

[Roy from Pa]

I would say around 2 - 3 pounds.

[Art B]

About the same as Roy.  Art

[DVSHUNTER]

ditto, depending on what you consider final sanded. I've seen some final sanded bows that still needed work in my opinion.  They were pretty rough.  I know I could easily sand off five pounds from some of those bows to get them where I would call them final sanded.

[adeeden]

Thanks!

[George Tsoukalas]

I use a rope and pulley and exercise the bow 20-30 times at partial draw between wood removal sessions. I also give up on coarse wood removal tools early on  and use a scraper like tool once the bow is strung. The back is also sanded smooth  with 220 grit. All nicks are removed before stringing. My bows may loose a few pounds probably less. Jawge

[Adam Keiper]

By the time I shoot a bow in, I will have exercised it extensively through tillering, and will have already had it strung for an extended brace.  I will have and have done the final tillering with 80 to 120 grit sandpaper and there will be no ridges, nicks, or undulations to deal with.  Any backings, like snakeskins, etc. will also have been added long ago and those edges will have been clean up and smoothed out.  Since the bow has been given such a work out and has been so refined, the bow usually doesn't drop any weight during shoot in, nor does the subsequent "final" sanding down to 320 grit.