chasing the ring

[fujimo]

hiya,
have started to prep the back of the stave i got from mike M.
when working that final ring, should one go through the early wood, and just into the latewood.ie is it imperitave to be at the same place in the late wood(same ring obviously), or is this overly fanatical. the blank had a few rough marks that i hade to take out with the scraper, so now the final late wood ring is not exactly the same thickness throughout. the ring is NOT violated though!!or should i just go down to the next ring.
thanks.
wayne

[John Scifres]

It depends on how thick the ring is to start with for me.  If I feel I have thinned it too much, I will go down another ring.  Depending on the stave and the design, you might be able to just start at the handle and chase a lower ring on that limb only.

[Pat B]

Ideally you want to go through the early wood to the late wood but not into the late wood if you can help it. Leaving a little early wood on the back won't hurt anything and it can be sanded off without effecting the late wood under it...or you can leave some of the early wood on the back. I sometimes leave most of the early wood on the back until I get close to being finish with tiller as a protective coating but not always.
  You have to determine if your chosen ring will be appropriate only after you get there. With wood bows you sometimes find "secrets" under one ring that weren't obvious before you removed the ring above it. This is something that comes with experience.

[fujimo]

thanks guys. just the info that i needed.
will go down to the next ring.
thanks
wayne

[shamus]

+1 to what Pat said.

If you feel the ring you have is too thin, it may best to work it to down to the next one. But I'm not sure you need to do that.

Thoughts of mine on chasing growth rings:  http://analogperiphery.blogspot.com/2008/05/chasing-growth-rings.html

Hope that helps.

[Okie 1]

I wish the rings on my Osage was thick enough to tell. If they were any thinner they'd only have one side.  
Like Pat said, leave as much early wood on, as you can, until you get close to finished tillering.

[Roy Steele]

I leave the early wood for two reasons if your late wood ring [BACK OF BOW]is'nt cut through.The back of your bows safe.
    And the early wood stains better.Unless it's a super thick early ring it won't matter.I've never had one that did. If you want scrape it off just don't go through the latr ring.
   I've done them both ways I can't see any difference.

[fujimo]

thanks all ov ya.
much apprecciated.
wayne