First Osage Bow!!!

[rmorris]

A few years ago when I was a meter reader I stumbled upon one of the 4 Osage trees in Albuquerque and it had just been cut down. I knocked on the door and the owner of the tree said if I come back and haul it off it would be all mine. After work I came back with my truck and loaded an 7' by 8" diameter log in my truck. At the time I knew extremely little about processing an Osage log so I took it over to a friends house who is also a bow maker and has a much nicer shop, he helped me process the log and we split the golden wood.

Now we are at present day and I have perfect, dry Osage wood for making my first Osage bow. I plan on making a lighter weight 64" longbow and I think it is going to be a real challenge...

Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures in the morning and fill you in on the rest of the details.

[Stiks-n-Strings]

Keep us posted on the progress

[DVSHUNTER]

Careful you may never go back to glass again.

[Dan Landis]

Ralph, just take your time and post lots of pics of your progress, you'll do fine.  It's obvious that you have the skills and attention to details to do it by the way you build your glass bows.  Just be careful like DVS said it's very contagious....Dan

[KellyG]

let us see them logs

[rmorris]

Well... I do have to say that nothing I said was a lie, but I may have not told the entire truth.      

When I got the log I did not know what a gold mine I had for self bow makers and knowing what I know now I would have split that log into staves .

When I said it was going to be a challeng that is becaue this is my first left handed bow. A few weeks ago I attempted to shoot a lefty and it was a joke! I am making this bow for myself to learn to shoot lefty.

Here is my progress so far .









All of the wood is Osage with bamboo cores and black glass.

[DVSHUNTER]

That doesn't count!      

Still looking forward to seeing the completed.project.

I taught myself to shoot lefty over the winter with a hickory selfbow I made for a Christmas gift for someone.

[Big Ed]

Nice!!

[menatkin]

Nice looking bow!  Can't wait to see the final product.

[Roy from Pa]

I guess it's OK..  

[rmorris]

I just don't understand how these dang left handed bows work.... Still looks a right handed bow to me ..

[Osagetree]

I think you've strung it up backwards in that shot!      

[4est trekker]

I'm a little confused...Osagetree is right!  That pictures makes me nervous in a dozen different ways!    

[Black Mockingbird]

Yikes!!!!!!

[PEARL DRUMS]

You built the bow and yet still strung it backwards.......?????? Scarey stuff.

[Jomohr84]

Thought that tiller looked a little off....

[rmorris]

Ahhh... It all makes sense now     . It would be a horrible idea to try to shoot an arrow like that because I had to keep some extra tension on the string just to keep it on the bow.   I should also add that do not string a bow backwards unless you have a lack of respect for blunt force trama. Also I will post some pics soon as I get the final clear coat on

[Roy from Pa]

Ralph, I was about to say that's one of the best bows you built yet:)