Osage first try (ding ding)

[KellyG]

NOTE: IF YOU HAVE NEVER DONE THIS AND STUMBLED ON TO MY THREAD; PLEASE READ IT ALL JUST DON'T LOOK AT AND READ MY PARTS. I HAVE NEVER DONE THIS EITHER AND MAY HAVE SCREWED SOMETHING UP. MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE FOLKS MAY HAVE CORRECTED WHAT I HAVE SAID AND TOLD ME HOW TO DO IT RIGHT OR BETTER. DON'T KNOW MYSELF I AM ONLY ON PAGE 7 AT THIS TIME SO FAR SO GOOD.


Ok here we go my first series of questions. I will split it first, and make two staves. This will be done with 2 hand axes  (I will leap frog them) and a hand sledge.  The pic be low is the narrow end. If all goes to plan will end up with  2 2.5" staves at that end.
Once I split it I will post pics of it and the start and end.
This pick is my plan of attack. the arrows are the ring I think in need to chase. I think if it splits nice for me I will use stave 2 it seems to have a less crown thus I think easier to chase.  the sharper crown will be set aside for later.  
 
Thanks,
Kelly

[Dean Marlow]

Kelly looks like you picked a good ring. Just make sure it will be wide enough to get 2 staves down to that good ring. Measure from that good ring across and see if you can get 2 staves.If it is a straight grained stave I might consider cutting it down the middle with a bandsaw. Dean

[sulphur]

its going to be real easy to end up with two kid bows.  be careful.  you might consider removing the sapwood and check the vertical grain.  the kerf method would work great if (like dean said) the grain is straight.

[KellyG]

Dean thanks I will make that measurement. I don't have a band saw here. What would be the minimum width to get two staves. I guess the middle with would more important were the fades would be.
Thanks,
Kelly

[DVSHUNTER]

that's right kelly. I always try to SPLIT staves at the least 1 3/4 and then layout 1 1/2 fades from there, but osage is tough enough to go thinner. I have made bows as small as 1in. @ the fades, and I'm sure someone even has that beat.
having said that, for your first try, I would make sure I got at least one bow from that stave. Remember, I've got a killer osage spot when you get home. ;-)

[hova]

kelly , looks good bud! congrats on the donation.  make us proud and take your time with it.


wish i would have thought of it , but i picked up a luggage scale the other day on the cheap , shoulda grabbed an extra for ya...

-hov

[scrub-buster]

Wear safety glasses!!! I had a piece of the wedge break off and hit me right between the eyes while splitting staves this summer.  It bled like crazy and felt like I was punched in the nose.  I was lucky.  I always wear safety glasses now.

[hova]

i can attest to this. i had a sledge hammer head shatter on me once , i took 14 pieces of red hot hardened steel in my arm and chest. i still have 3 pieces in my arm that only stopped because they hit the bone.


be careful. shrapnel sucks weather its from a bow or anything else...

you get that sucker split yet?


-hov

[okie64]

Hey Kelly I dont know what kinda bow you got in mind to build but if you're wantin a thick handled bow with a shelf cut in and you split it where you got your green line in the pic you might want to make sure its goin to be deep enough . It might get too narrow to make a bow of that style. Its hard to tell just lookin at the pic though.

[KellyG]

Thanks all for the information so far. I will get more measurement tonight after work in an couple of hours.
okie64 I am going to go simple, but need to look a little more on layout. I only need 45-50# @28".  I don't think I want to tackle a round belly just yet. A four in handle area that I will wrap with jutted 550 cord. Next time I see a pair of boot getting thrown out I will cut them up for the rest  and go floppy.
Width of the limbs undecided until I read some builds and get in the TTB and look. I don't want to over build it.
Hova,
I will split it this weekend if the weather holds out.
Next question
would an oil base paint be ok to seal the back of one of the staves after I take the sap wood off? Should I split it then take the sap wood off or take the sap wood off then split? Does it even matter. I know I need to take it off. I was advised that in the letter on the stave.
I feel like a kid with a toy that he has always wanted and know he has it he just does not want the new toy ware off.
Thank again,
Kelly

[Stiks-n-Strings]

Kelly.

 I would get the sap wood off first. After that you need tyo see what kind of grain you got and decide from there wether to split or not. One thing I learned about osage is it don't always split like we think it's gonna and you end up losing material that could of have been implimented into a good bow design.

 Also when and if you split start at the narrow end of your stave and split toward the wide end. This will keep you from splitting off a wedge of osage that goes wide at the end you start your split and ends up as wide as a toothpick up on the other end. Trust me on this I know from experience.

 Good luck with it and take it slow Patience is the #1 tool you should have in your tool bag before starting a bow.

 Stiks

[Pat B]

I would take the bark and sapwood off first to see what is under it.   I also have good luck starting my splits in the center of the stave instead of an end. Getting the bark and sapwood off will show you just what you have to work with; twists, swirls knots and pins.  Another suggestion would be to make some wood wedges. Once you start your split use the wood wedges to hold the split open while you move on to the next area. When splitting from the center work out towards each end alternately following the grain. You can "steer" the split somewhat by adding pressure to one side or the other of the split.
  Also, by removing the bark and sapwood you familiarize yourself with the wood you are using. By the time you get to the heartwood you know a lot about the wood and that can help you make decissions as you proceed with your bow(stave).

[hova]

pats got it. i think as long as you stay a ring or two up , oil based paint should be fine. even if you just get the sapwood off and paint the outermost ring , even if you get a little checking , you should still be able to get down to your ring.


i am no expert , but judging from how deep the ring you want is , you could probably just get the sap off and seal the ends. i had a piece of unknown wood split though , so see what someone else thinks about this.


anyways , once you get the bark off put a pic up and see what ya think. i call for a desert buildalong

-hov

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Kelly- Stiks and Pat have it right on about the splitting. Get the sapwood off first and see what ya got underneath. That will answer many of your questions. You gotta unwrap your new present before you can see what's inside.

Get it down to any one of those first rings and seal it. Then it will be fine until you get ready to build out of it.

I split a stave that was even more narrow than this one for the 2 kids longbows that I made for my nephew's Christmas presents this year and they both turned out great. I could have left them at 40+ pounds if I wanted to because there was more than enough material to work with, but I had to get them down to 20lb. an under for them to be able to shoot.
Your main objective is to get at least one good bow out of that stave, 2 bows is a luxury. So make sure you keep enough of the good part for your main bow, then if there's enough left to build another one you can adapt the style of the bow to fit the remainder of the stave.

One Trad Gang member got 2 full sized longbows and a billet out of just 1 of my staves, and he spliced the billet with a piece of yew he had left over from another build and made a hybrid. He said they all turned out great, but he's been at it for years so he knew exactly what he needed to do to the stave.

Just take your time and ask questions before you tear into it if your in doubt about where to go next. Just stop and ask before disaster strikes.

[KellyG]

The sap wood will come off this weekend. Sundays are a day I do as little as possible. I was just reading TBB I on removeing wood on Osage with a draw knife. I must admit I made a few pass in the sap wood on a small area just to see what I was in for. it is tuff stuff.
Cant waite.

[broketooth]

kelly g. i would get all the sap wood off before i split anything. i made a mistake in doing a belly split. follow what mr pat said first , see what you have to work with. dont forget to show us pics. ruddy

[KellyG]

Ruddy of course the pics will come. I will start taking wood off on sunday. I pop over to your tread and it is coming along nicely.

[don s]

kelly, go slow with the drawknife until you get the feel of it. it can dig in and take wood that you didn't intend to take. if it's possible and there's a piece of scrap around. try the drawknife on that and get the feel. also, sometimes i use it bevel up and other times it's bevel down. i never settled on one or the other. good luck and i'll be watching too.
                                   don

[Osagetree]

Thank you for your service Sir.

You stated "If all goes well",,, two staves @ 2 1/2" at the top (bark) or at your chosen ring???? You'll loose some width when splitting as the wood can tear rather than break apart like a short peice of firewood does. A bandsaw would reduce that loss somewhat.... Scoring a line in the whitewood before splitting might help insure two staves? Removing the whitewood is good advice in this case as well....

I like to clamp my staves down about at the height of my solorplex. Arms sretched out but not locked in. I use my legs (at about a one step stance forward)and my body weight to draw the knife; rather than using my arm strength. The arms just keep me where I want to be on the blade angle and kilter.

If the stave is cured well,,,,, wait till you hit the hardwood!!!!

That is why I'll say this,,, and admit I have only read one selfbow book....

Don't put too much thinking in to taking off the whitewood. I go at it like the house is on fire! Bark first then the whitewood. Your chosen ring is pretty deep, so hitting into a ring or three while removing the bark and whitewood wont get you in trouble. To me the trick is; dont try and take too deep of a bite. This tears off more wood (sometimes) than you need and can tear into your chosen ring. Do more slicing than tearing once you get to seeing the yellerwood! From there, you'll have a few rings you can practice on.


I can't wait to see more!!!!

[Pat B]

Kelly, leave wood around the knots and pins as you head down to the yellow wood. DO NOT pull your draw knife across any knots or pins. Once you get down work each knot with a scraper from the knot out away from the knot.You will have plenty to play with here.