Osage Build
 

Well, finally started making shavings. Holy cow, 34hours of labor. From Thurs to Sunday at 3:30PM. I hurt in places I didn't know I could hurt.

Turned out to be 56lbs at 29" 67" End to End. Still not finished. Need to sand and make pretty, but its shooting and fast.

Here is the near the start. Circled is the growth ring I am after. She's huge.

RE: Osage Build
 

Here's me rasping handle

RE: Osage Build
 

Here is the bow right before floor tiller. Very late at night.

RE: Osage Build
 

And finally at 2" short of full draw. Still taking her easy. Scared to death it was going to blow up into 20 pieces.

RE: Osage Build
 

BC,
Looks good. Can you post a few more pic's of your "workbench," I'm interesting in starting to make a few "Self-bows" myself. I have an elm and hickory log in my barn ready to be worked.

How long did you have to let that osage stave need to drydry??? I have access to a LOAD of osage and was thinking about harvesting a tree and cutting some staves to try. How long do they need to dry for??

Thanks for any info!!!

RE: Osage Build
 

I bought this stave off of Bill Kaczor. He let em dry for over 1 year. Its really where you live from what I read.

Here's the picture of the bow vise/horse. This is the guys who guided me on this.

RE: Osage Build
 

Ok, I shot about 30 shots tonight full 29" draw. I have developed about 1" of string follow. I heard thats normal. For anyone that knows, when should it settle in?

RE: Osage Build
 

Tiller looks pretty good on that osage--nice job!;)Post pic's when you get it all finished

RE: Osage Build
 

Thanks Jim, and it was great to finally meet you. She has a little propeller twist. But we made it so one limb is slightly twisted one way and the other the opposite so it looks like an "S" from a front profile.

RE: Osage Build
 

Excellent. Looks awasome. Welcome to the world of bow making. If the Good Lord had ever needed something to teach patience, making bows would be it. The bow looks great.;)

RE: Osage Build
 

Some day, ill break down and make a bow horse. I keep putting it off because Ive got a set up in my shop that works well, except I have to stand to work. Every time I start to make a horse, I get caught up on something else. I was going to break down and make one two weekends ago, except I broke my lam grinder, so I put the bench to the side and started building a new lam grinder. Im about to have a little more free time, so I think Ill make one. Ive got two bows to finish right now, but once they are done, im going to make a bench. (lol. isnt that always the proverbial last words. Ive been saying that for years.)

RE: Osage Build
 

Oh, yea, one last question. Do you plan on heating in any reflex? If so, just be aware that it will increase weight by up to 10lbs per 1 inch.
that is just in general because other things are in play here, but is a general rule of thumb. And for the set time, it will be shot in by about 60 to 100 arrows. You will see little to no more set.

RE: Osage Build
 

I need to learn more about heating out twists and stuff it sounds like if I plan on making alot of osage.

I would kinda like to heat out the propeller twist. Just need to learn more about it.

Thanks burnie

RE: Osage Build
 

Its real easy. Get some mineral oil and a heat gun. All you need for getting twist out. Oil it up, put the tip in a vice, and heat and slowly twist it straight. Key is to let the wood tell you when its ready to bend. As for reflex, simply cut a caul (board the shape you want your reflexin.), drill a hole in the end so you can clamp your tip down to it. Oil up the tips, heat and slowly bend it down to your caul. Once its down to the caul, clamp it down and let is set a bit. Ive done it using the back of a kitchen chair and used steam to bend it. Yea, the wife did not like the idea much. Didnt hurt anything. I think it made her mad because I waited for her to go to work before I did it, and she came home from work and found me bending a bow in the house using her nice pots to steam the ends, and her kitchen chair as a caul. Yea, I got that look all through lunch.:D

RE: Osage Build
 

Hey burne, I heard you don't to steam osage, only whitewoods. Is that so in your opinion? When you said, let the wood tell you when, are you kinda hand twisting? How long does the process take?

RE: Osage Build
 

Good job bigcountry. I'm really getting the urge to build one this year. My son still shoots the one we made for him two years ago, though not as much since he got the Bear recurve for his birthday.

How many hours went into it? We had ten-twelve and didn't do as many steps as you.

RE: Osage Build
 

32 hours is what I figure. 6 hours to get used to the tools and remove back and some sap wood. Another10 to get to the growth ring I wanted and clean up around knots. About 10 hours to design, rasp profile, and rasp handle and little floor tiller. 8 hours to cut nocks, make my own string, floor tiller, and final tiller. The bow went from 70lbs to 55 in short time. One guy there was doing hickory and I was so jealous. No ring chasing, no knot cleanup. I am doing hickory next.

RE: Osage Build
 

That's a lot of work. I'm sure you will get a lot out of the bow considering how much you put into it.

RE: Osage Build
 

Yes, thats true. You would oil and heat it. I was bending a white oak self bow. Sorry for the confusion.

Oh yea. as for hand twising. Put the tip in the vice, after oiling it. Hold the bow in one hand and start heating the limb. Put a little torque pressure on the limb as you heat it. Heat by running the heat gun up and down the length you want to twist. You will feel when the wood starts to give. It will let you know. Dont over heat it to where you get bend in the limb. Just enough to where the twist starts to give.

RE: Osage Build
 

You got a better bow. Hickory is ok for a self bow, and is great to learn with, but osage is the best. ;)

RE: Osage Build
 

I just found a tree up where I live. Going to stop and talk to the farmer about it.

RE: Osage Build
 

I found an osage tree growing on the fence line the other day. I can't find who owns the ranch, but I bet he would love for me to cut it down for him. All I can see isa buch of selfbows and lots of osage wood for lams. I would like to cut it down, or take branchs as soon as I can. Spring is the best time.

RE: Osage Build
 

YOu know burnie, I was going to tell ya. I didn't like those bow horses. Killed my back.

I was going to do the next one on a vise standing up. I wouldn't mind having both however.

RE: Osage Build
 

I thought it was stacking. So I decided to map out a curve. Looks nice. Its not stacking, It just freaking 60lbs at 29". I am kinda glad, because there are a few places that are a tad stiff. Burnie, maybe you can give me advice when I put on a tillering stick

RE: Osage Build
 

What kind of advice? Tillering is what makes a bow a good bow, bad bow, or a broke bow.:D You have to keep your chi up and use your zin powers and become one with the bow:D:D:D

You are far on your way and have done an excellent job on that osage bow. Im a little jealous. My first self bow was a peice of garbage. It became fire wood not long after it started to take shape. I learned then one of the most important lessons; Dont try to make wood do what it doesnt want to do. Also, the most important bit of advice I can give, and I mean IMPORTANT is; take your time and when you get a little tired or frustrated, put it down. It will be there tomorrow. That was a tough one for me. But when I started putting them down and coming back the next day, everything started to fall in place perfectly. ;)

RE: Osage Build
 

Very nice.:)

RE: Osage Build
 

I have to build a tillering board. I figured I could take a picture and get your and others advise pulled at 29"

Thanks for compliments.

I am not sure I would advise someone to take a 3 day build like this. You go in so syced and it is so fatigueing doing it all at once. Especially if your not in shape like me.

RE: Osage Build
 

That is one exceptional curve. No stacking or fluctuations at all. I'm jealous!

RE: Osage Build
 

One bit of advice that will help you when tillering and keep you from see-saw tillering is; make markes on you limbs, from the tips inward, about every 4 to 6 inches. Measure your tiller from these reference points on each limb respectively. That way you dont go back and forth taking too much material off.