Ring Violation?

[TroutGuide]

I have a couple general questions for you all.  What do you consider a ring violation?  In thick ringed osage how badly can you nick/gouge a ring and get away with it?  

TroutGuide

[PEARL DRUMS]

Its not a violation in my book until I can see the ring underneath. I have gouged some thick ringed stuff in the past and never went through.

[Pat B]

Like Pearlie said, an under ring shining through. If you get into a ring but not through it smooth that area out so there is no abrupt change in the woods surface.

[TroutGuide]

Thanks, that is what I thought but I started qustioning myself.  My staves have very thin early wood so it makes it hard to avoid a little scraping or gouging of the late wood.

TroutGuide

[Pat B]

One way to help eliminate the problem is to remove the wood down to the early ring and sand that off just before finishing the bow.

[George Tsoukalas]

You can gouge but you can't go through. Sooner or later it will break there. Jawge