posted
I have an Osage stave with 2 bows in it, and the early wood is still on it, just the bark is removed. Should I chase this to a good ring before I split it? or shold I split first then chase it down to a good ring? The stave is about 10 years old and very dry. Pete
-------------------- Share your knowledge and ideas. Posts: 2951 | From: Alberta | Registered: Jun 2003
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are you saying your stave is wide enough , or deep enough to accommodate 2 staves.if its deep enough to do a belly split, start in the middle of the stave to split it. if it is wide enough chase a ring and split with a bandsaw. rv
-------------------- " you have done well to keep your hair when so many are after it" Posts: 1560 | From: new bern,nc | Registered: Nov 2008
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I have good luck starting the split in the middle of the stave and split it out to both ends. I would remove the sapwood first then split.
-------------------- Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes! TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 10081 | From: Brevard, NC. | Registered: Apr 2003
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Been working on the Swap bow all day, and it is ready for shooting. All afternoon I was eyeing up that Osage. There is a good chance it has 3 bows in it, if I get enough nerve.A botton inside split should yield one stave, and then the outside should give up 2.more if I am lucky and carefull doing the slpiting. Any stave up here is like gold, and Osage is the mother load,so I don't want to miss any oportunity to get an extra bow, and at the same time I don't want 3 useless pieces. It seems like peeling the back to a good ring , and cleaning up a side first might be the wise way to go, then I can see if it is 1 ,2 or 3 bow stave before I get to that point of no return.
-------------------- Share your knowledge and ideas. Posts: 2951 | From: Alberta | Registered: Jun 2003
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Pete once you get it down to your chosen ring post pics so other can best advise you. Better to get one then none. But I know what you mean. I took a risk and split one and it paid off and I am working on the second bow from that stave.
Posts: 3161 | From: Riley, KS | Registered: Dec 2005
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Don't waste too much heartwood just trying to get to the perfect ring. That first one under the sapwood will work even if you have to back the bow with rawhide.
-------------------- Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes! TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 10081 | From: Brevard, NC. | Registered: Apr 2003
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It sure is nice to know experience is just a key stroke away. Tomorow I will strip it to the first ring and take a couple photos with a tape measure on the end. Thanks guys. Pete
-------------------- Share your knowledge and ideas. Posts: 2951 | From: Alberta | Registered: Jun 2003
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Good advice from all the rest, but just wanted to add another piece of info from my own experience. I've drawn a line down the center of a stave where I know I can get 2 good bow blanks out of each side, then scored it with a dremel tool and a wood cutting blade so I knew the split would follow that score mark. It's just added insurance to make the split go where you want it to and not run the risk of it veering off to one side or the other. Also, belly splits aren't always fool proof either. I've had them run up and into the good heartwood too close to the back of the stave that it made the piece above the split un-usable. So a large bandsaw may be a better option than splitting? Food for thought.
-------------------- ~Varitas Vos Liberabit~ John 8:32 ~Genesis 27:3~ Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most. Posts: 2867 | From: Missouri | Registered: Aug 2010
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Not so good now. After getting down to a good ring it shrunk. LOL There should be two bows side by side, but as luck goes there are a couple checks in the ends. It is starting to be disapointing, but there is definately 1 good bow to be had. Time for a break and to contemplate the options left. It is fun making kid bows too, so the so called waste will be put to good use.With 7 grand kids from 3 months to 10 years any pieces can be made into a bow for one of them.
-------------------- Share your knowledge and ideas. Posts: 2951 | From: Alberta | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Pete, end checks generally won't hurt a bow. Don't give up on it. If the stave is big enough to split, do so and make a bow from both halves.
-------------------- Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes! TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 10081 | From: Brevard, NC. | Registered: Apr 2003
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Right on Pat. A little glue and wrap will make all better again. Just be sure to watch them as you split the stave so you don't pull it apart.
-------------------- C.A.Deshler
"Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.” Francis Chan http://twotracksbow.com Posts: 4859 | From: Michigan | Registered: Feb 2009
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I don't have osage readily available to me so I learned to use whatever I could get and make bows from it. It doesn't really take much osage to make a 50# bow. Pete, I think you are trying to picture a "bow" or a few " bows" in that piece of wood. If you can split it in half lengthwise do it! Make a bow with each half by removing wood from the belly until it bends the way you want and to the weight you want. It might not look like the bow you invisioned but if it will propell an arrow efficiently to the target thats all you can ask of any bow.
-------------------- Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes! TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 10081 | From: Brevard, NC. | Registered: Apr 2003
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