Okay, you got me....

[robtattoo]

I'm feeling the need to ruin some perfectly good timber & hopefully (accidentally) end up with a shootable bow!

Now, I know slightly less about this than I do about partical physics.

I'm probably going to be trying this out at the TN Classic get together in a couple of months time.

My options are either Hickory or Osage. Which would you choose & why?

I draw 30" What length bow should I be looking to build?

At 30" drawlength, would I benefeit from one wood over the other?

I'm aiming to build something at around 60#@30" Is this feasible?

Thanks in advance!

[walkabout]

probably hickory, if youre not sure about your tillering abilities. its recommended for first time bowyers cus its forgiving and tough. as far as benefits from one wood to another for your draw length i have no idea there, but im guessing you might need something around 68 inch or so.

[skeaterbait]

It's all feasible. Are you looking at a stave bow or board bow? Since you mentioned Osage I am going to assume stave.

Either one will work though, depending on where you are, usable Hickory is much more obtainable that Osage.

Both are great woods but for a starter bow I would recommend Hickory. Very forgiving and tough to break. It can be done though. Go ahead, ask me how I know....

[skeaterbait]

MAN, again, just a few keystrokes too slow.

[ChristopherO]

Both will do you good but the Hickory will need to be longer and wider, usually, than the osage depending on design.  30" is doable but you will need to make it a priority to work the belly wood carefully and tiller slowly to keep excessive set from dulling your hard work.  I would say that in a stiff handled long bow make sure your stave is 70" of usable wood and then shorten it as you go if that particular piece of wood allows.
I imagine that the Tn Classic will be a great place to learn this craft.  Have a wonderful time.

[vanillabear?]

[Mudd]

Why would you pick any wood over Osage? I mean if there's more than one to chose from and Osage is one of the choices then there isn't a choice. IMHO

God bless,Mudd

PS I've made bows out of a bunch of different woods from yew to plum even tried a persimmon once and Osage always made the best and lasted the longest.

[OkKeith]

Rob,

Osage is sexy and just LOOKS like bow wood. If this is your first attempt at building a bow, use the hickory. It does have problems with soaking up water out of the air, but that can be managed easily.

I have a 31" draw length and have a hickory bow that is one of my favorites. Unless you just WANT to build a beast of a bow, backing it with deer raw-hide will give you better lines and a narrower bow. I wouldn't shift off of a 68" to 72" length. Go with a board bow build. Easier to find materials and get cut out well.

Hickory is not as "snappy" as Osage. It might feel a little doggy in your hand when you shoot it, but a tougher bow that can also be used as a quarterstaff, you will not find.

Watch the area where the fades translate into the limbs, it's easy to develop a hinge there.

Have fun! If you screw it up, slab it out and make knife handles out of it.

Holler if you would like to see pictures of my hickory bow.

OkKeith

[Shore08]

I built my first bow last year at the TN Classic. I agree that hickory is the way to go as well. That's what mine is.

[Pat B]

There will be enough bow build experience at the Classic so you have an excellent chance of walking away with a fine bow. Are you getting your wood at the Classic? Both osage and hickory make very good bows. They are #1 ans #2 for me.

[DVSHUNTER]

osage. It will handle more mistakes, not to mention it's oasage! I would go with osage. Do you have any osage?  I would go with osage. I like to use osage. I have never built a hickory bow yet. I'd  use osage.  
 seriously though if you have lots of it or have acces to it I would use it. Take my advice with a grain of salt because I have never used hickory, so I'm all opinion and word of mouth info. I would use osage. :-)

[skeaterbait]

Hey DVS,


If you have a sec, could you tell me what you think of osage?  

[b.glass]

For your first bow, unless you will have alot of on hand advice, I would suggest hickory. And unless you can get an especially clean osage stave. Which can get kinda pricey. But if money is no object and you have good tutoring, osage would be my pick. Hickory is generally cleaner and straighter and easier to work and still makes a pretty good bow!

You can get the shaping and tillering process and princples down with hickory and then learn the straightening and knot work on an osage stave later.

68" hickory, 2" wide or a little less with rawhide backing. Sounds like fun to me!

[George Tsoukalas]

For a first time, hickory is a good choice. If you want to make a bow with  a rigid handle of 8 inches ( 4 in handle, 2 in fades). Then go 70 inches ntn. 1.75 in width is good. Hickory is not the best choice for humid environments. Osage is excellent but you have to chase to  a heartwood ring. Chasing a ring and tillering a bow is a tall order unless you have someone looking over your shoulder. But it will do much better in the humidity. If you are going to build it there at the Classic go with the osage.  Jawge

[NightHawk]

IRONWOOD = HOP HORNBEAM        

[shadetreebowyer]

Maybe you should try Bodark    Shadetreebowyer

[frank bullitt]

Rob, OSAGE! If your going to the Classic, Gary Davis will be there to show you the way. With the draw your looking for and weight, I'll say it again, Osage. Nothing wrong with Hickory.

From what I've read of your talent as a knifemaker, should be know problem. Besides Gary being there, awhole lot of other experienced folks will help you along.

[Pat B]

Mike McGuire will have 300 osage staves at the classic. He supplies Gary Davis with a lot of wood and Mike builds great osage bows too. Gary is another option. If you are building a bow at the classic there will be plenty of experienced help. I helped 5 or 6 different folks to build bows last year at the classic and I'm sure I'll be in the thick of it this year too.

[NightHawk]

pat,

 You talking about the kentucky classic?