Osage first try (ding ding)

[KellyG]

Ok I got it down to one ring. Here are some pics of me scraping using half a scissors.
Here I am pushing way from me and to the newly exposed ring I am chasing.
 
Here I am pulling toward me and away from the newly exposed ring. I like pushing away better; pulling tends to make a sharp change from one ring to the next.
 
Here is the smooth transition I got by pushing the scrapper away from me.  Two rings on the right are going bye bye.  At the left edge that is just little around a knot.
 
Ok this next Pic is of me working on the outer most ring but not the one above the one I am chasing. I add a little more pressure to get the wood coming off.
 
Now I am working on the edge of the ring that is just above the one I am chasing. I use shorter strokes and less pressure. Notice the difference in shaveings.
 
I did super glue the checks they are smaller, but not gone. After the glue dries on my gizmo I will make the center of the bow and work on a design or layout.
I want the length and weight to be the same as my viper so I can use it's string and arrows.
We shall see.
thanks,
Kelly

[KellyG]

Semo_hunter thanks for those links I will watch them tomorrow. eyes are heavy right now.

[broketooth]

wow semo, that was a pair of vry informitave pair of videos. i never knew how to properly use my spoke shave. very impressive and very educational. thanks for your time and explenation of the process. ruddy

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Your welcome Kelly and Ruddy, I was already out in the garage working on some staves so it wasn't a big deal to just set the camera up on a tripod and tape the process. I know the videos aren't studio quality or anything, but I wanted to hurry up and get them uploaded for Kelly to be able to use. At least maybe that will enlighten a few on how the spoke shave operates and then you can incorporate it into your bowyer's tools arsenal.

Here's the last one of 3 and it's just basically Stave Shavin' with some relaxing background music.

 

[KellyG]

SEMO,
Those are great clips. I know why the spokeshave was not working for me it was not sharp. I had hit it with my smiths diamond system but did not put a razors edge. I will fix that. Thanks for the shout out in the video and the videos them selves. I hope it helps others.

One of my Soldiers is from just south of you near Bellcity.

I have her down to one ring. Should I start taking some off the belly. I did get most of the center layed out on the back. There is an ole knot that blocks one end.

If I am shooting for 45# @28" and around 68" NN would 1.25" limbes be wide enough form fade to mid limb then straight taper form there?

Thanks and God Bless,
Kelly

[SEMO_HUNTER]

PatB needs to give you some advice with the limb width and other specs. I'm still toying around with my designs and don't feel that I'm qualified to offer advice on that one.
I do know this, whatever pleases you can work......some ideas and designs work better than others and that's where I fall short with my limited knowledge.

When you get the stave down to the ring you intend to stop on then you can start on the belly. Get everything off that you don't need for the tillering process. Just don't go too far!

And remember to leave some for a handle!!!
Don't ask me how I know this.  :rolleyes:  

I mark a centerline now and measure 4" each direction from center. That will give me a full 8" of stave for a handle/arrow shelf area to work with. Then shave outward from those marks toward the ends where your limb tips will be.

Keep up the good work.

[Pat B]

That would be plenty wide enough. I usually go
1 1/4" to 1 3/8" at the fades and out 6" to 8" before tapering to the tips. Either way will work. Don't shape your handle yet. Leave the handle area and tips wide so you can make string allignment corrections later.

[KellyG]

Thanks both of you gents,

I am just planning on glueing on the shelf for now but dont know I will still mark off 8" then see what I got after I get some wood off. I wont be at my location for a few days so when I get back I will get some wood flying and some pics up.

Thank and God Bless,
Kelly

[J. Holden]

Stay safe while your on your "trip" Kelly.  We look forward to seeing your update.

-Jeremy  

[don s]

holy crap kelly!!! look at you go. it's like you can see the confidence growing in you as you work on that stave. awesome job.
                                 don

[KellyG]

Jeremy,
I should not be away long, I am where I needed to be and I hope to be able to work on it some tomorrow.

Don S,
Heck thanks to you I am going this fast, and your draw knife. The belly does not worry me to much.
I need to remove one big knot on the belly that sticks out and get my center line. Once that is done I will start removing wood. on the limbs.

The question is is 5/8 to thin. I pland on drawing a line down both sides and remove wood to that. If i remember on the hickory I took the limbs down to 5/8.

God Bless,
Kelly

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I think 5/8" is plenty thick and still be able to have lots of room to finish it down to your target weight. I normally go down to 1/2" then end up tillering it down some more from there. Just depends on what weight your shooting for, but 5/8" should put you around 80-100 pounds or so. It all depends on limb width also, the narrower the limbs the thicker they will need to be to get the draw weight you want.

[Pat B]

Kelly, I would suggest you starting a bit thick to help you go through the learning curve of tillering. The work you have done so far is hard work but learning to tiller is difficult and time comsuming. It takes way more finesse than reducing a stave and chasing a ring. Start out at 5/8" thick and remove wood so the limbs bend evenly and together, exercising the emerging bow between wood removal sessions.

[va]

KellyG -

You are my hero.  Love the work in progress pics.

As for rough limb thickness - 5/8 should be good.  I usually start way too thick and spend lots of time and energy and frustration scraping and praying the silly thing will bend.  At 5/8 you will feel a little floor-tiller bend and start to see progress on the tiller.

My 2cents (I can make change if all you have is a nickel) is to slap together a tiller tree so you can step back a see the whole bow bend.  You could clamp something to the picnic table and pull toward yourself along the surface of the table.  That way you will see the bow and could compare limbs based on the edges of the table.

Do not pull harder than you have to to see some bend.  Again - this is where i get too anxious to see progress and i end up over-stressing the limbs.

be safe

va

[camoman]

That sure looks a lot more labor intesive than building a fiberglass bow. Not sure if I am up to that challenge yet.

[Pat B]

If you are looking for fast results and not much work, wood bow building is not for you! If you prefer to "paint by numbers" contact Bingham Projects about getting one of their bow building kits.

[DVSHUNTER]

kelly,
 looking good bud. Don't forget to follow the laterial grain of the stave when you layout the centerline. You will have to follow it even if it makes some crazy waves otherwise the bow could crack there. As always, don't ask me how I know. I usually just use my eye and freehand a centerline down my staves. It's pretty easy with the right light. Your 1¼in. dimension is fine for you. If it was me I wouldn't make the bow that long, but for your first osage it will give you some room for tillering issues.  I used to make my bows with roughly those dimensions only shorter.

[Osagetree]

Looking good KellyG. You can also make a tillering stick. Put some presure on the string and lay the stick on a tiled floor or something with and even pattern to check tiller.

example
 

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Yep, that's it alright. Joe do you put your notches in 1" increments on the tillering stick to check the draw length your pulling the bow back during tiller?
I really need to make myself one of those. I have a block of wood screwed into the wall of my garage with more screws down the wall set at even increments to hold my tillering string while I step back and look at it. It's crude, but it works.

[KellyG]

Thanks for all the advise while I took a brief pause had to run over to another location and help do some training. I was able to complete that and catch a ride in the same day. That meant I was only gone for an overnight stay.
Pat,
Not in a rush was just wanting to get an ideal of how much wood not to take off. I thought I remembered going down to 5/8 somewhere and thought I would see what all my mentors had to say. I don't mind painting by the numbers but don't mind just putting the paint to the paper and see what happens. Most of the time it looks like a preschooler has been finger painting but once in a while you can tell what is suppose to be.
Camoman,
you never know what challenges you are up to till you try them. It looks worse than it really is, besides once you see yeller wood your pain and suffering goes out the window.

DVSHUNTER,
I will use the modified gizmo to get the center line once I get some bell wood off. I have an knot in the belly that sticks out  where one of the limbs will be once it is gone I will have over and inch of wood left on the belly in that area. It will be in a limbs middle 3rd somewhere depending on where  I put the handle.  once  I have it gone then I can truly lay out the bow.  I will leave and extra long handle are so I can shift it up or down the bow.
Osagetree,
I have one at the house but it does me a lot of good here. I just had to move rooms and my new one has all plywood walls. I see some pencil makes and a tillering tree going  on one of the walls.
Va,
I just want a longer bow for now. I will try the shorter ones later. Once I get back and I arm all my neighbor's children and grand children with bow. I will try some shorter bows and god willing try hickory core sinewed  and skinned backed bow with a horn belly. I must learn to roll over before I can crawl and eventually run.
Semo,
It will not be a terribly heavy bow if I hit my weight of 45#. Keeping the limbs longer should help, cause if I make it two light I can always make it shorter.
Thank again for all the insight, I really do appreciate it,
Kelly