Need some help

[Balding Kansan]

Hello men. I've been following along with the posts for quite awhile, just finally registered. My question is can anyone point me in the right direction for a good post on decrowning a stave? I've got a knotty osage stave that was cut from a small tree and if i'm reading right, I need to decrown her. Thanks for your help in advance fellas.

[Tom Leemans]

If you're planning on backing it with something, then yes. You can use whatever method you have at hand. (draw knife, hoof rasp, plane, belt sander with coarse belt, whatever) Just get it flat and straight in both directions, so you have no glue gaps. You can check that with a long straight edge or a tight string. Your glue surface depends on the glue you're using too. Read this article. It will help.  http://bowyersedge.com/glue.html

[Pat B]

For a selfbow, if you can get a good sound back ring there is no need to decrown. I've been building wood bows for 25 years and never decrowned a bow, much less an osage bow.
  Get a good back ring and go for it!!!

[sssnap]

I'm with Pat B, chase a ring and leave extra around the knots, character bow. Let us see a picture and we can tell you more.

[Eric Krewson]

Like Pat said, no need to decrown. It takes very little wood to make a bow. If you have a stave 3/4" thick and 1 1/2 " wide in the limbs after chasing a grain you can make any poundage bow you want.

[George Tsoukalas]

No need. If the stave is heavily crowned just leave it an inch or 2 longer to counteract any additional set it may take. Jawge

[Balding Kansan]

Thanks men! I will leave it like it is then. I would post a picture, but i've been temporarily seperated from my stave due to getting married!

[va]

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