Osage first try (ding ding)

[Pat B]

Kelly, I wasn't referring to you or the way you are going about this. IMO you are doing what you should be doing at this point in the process. My statement was directed to camoman after his statement that it looked harder than building a glass lambow.
  Just because it is simple doesn't mean it is easy.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Your doing fine Kelly, just keep going about it the way you are and it will be fine.

I think I'll stay out of this for awhile and just sit back and watch. Too much advice coming at you all at once and it's just confusing you.

What do they say about too many cooks?

Bottom line Kelly, it's your picture that your painting and nobody can tell you what colors to use. It has to be your own creation however you want it to look, and taking the proper steps to get there.

You may even want to take a break from it for a few days and let your brain recoup just a bit?

Good luck, your doing great.

SEMO

[Pat B]

I may have come off sounding arrogent and I did not mean to.  What I was trying to say is...wood bow building is not an easy process. It is pretty simple to reduce a stave to floor tiller stage but once there it is a lot of work and thinking as you remove wood to make the limbs bend evenly and together. One little misstep or too much off this limb or from that place in the limb and all your work so far is for naught.
  When you build a glass lam bow most of the brain work has already been done, in the engineering and designing the wood and glass lams, creating the lams and lam stacks to achieve the tiller profile, draw length and draw weight you are looking for. Then the "paint by numbers" comes into play as you assemble the bow and cut it to shape. Many guys that build glass lam bows do all of this themselves but I would venture to say that lots just buy a kit and put it together. That is what I did a few years back and failed at it miserably...even before I ever strung the bow.
  I'm not putting either method or bow building or type down but trying to say if you think that there is too much work involved in building a selfbow then maybe a glass lam bow is the route you should take...but be prepared for thoughtful work there too.
  Now, have I dug my hole deep enough yet! d;^)

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I didn't see any reason to take offense from what you said Pat. I know exactly where your coming from. Building an Osage selfbow is alot of work and you do have to think about every step you make with it because most times you are literally one file stroke away from disaster. I totally get where your coming from and it ain't for everybody.  

[hova]

one stroke from disaster....sounds like a good album title.


kelly , lookin good bro .


i like to work on a bow for a couple days , then step away from it for a couple days. i like to go over things in my head a lot , and this allows me to get to know my wood (pun intended) , and decide where to go.


-hov

[KellyG]

That is the only flaw in all this typing, a lot of room for miss communication. Pat I know you were talking about the recipes if you will of  the glass bows. Heck I was referring to my own desire to someday maybe try one of them glass bow. You can get a completely different beauty form them as you can self bows, but I am on this journey to make a self bow and hunt with it. To join a league of the few modern folks who take up that challenge, of turning a stick into a beautiful yet deadly weapon.
SEMO heck don't leave me hanging now. I want all he advice I can get, that way I can try different things and see what will work. I have already started sharpening my spoke shave blade for the next stave.
Besides I have very thick skin and know from a couple of years of PM relationships with my wife that the written word can be taken way to many ways. Don't ask me how I know.
Thanks and God Bless,
Kelly
P.S. I should have it down to 3/8 on both limbs then and laid out. I have a few pics of the one limb down working other now. Right now my frustration is not the wood but my ratchet straps (once you thin one side they don't hold as well).

[hova]

what are you strapping to? you might try wrapping the stave in an old belt , to give it some grip. i use old belts for everything from pads for clamps , to an impromptu strap wrench. your imagination is the only limit.


you might want to try using some of that standing deadwood to make a shaving horse. im sure one or two of those stumps , and a chainsaw would pretty much put you in business. i know you have a hatchet , so that might take a while , but like you said , ya got 9months at least. might want to do a little prep work to make things easier on yourself down the road (ie : once your stave is coming to look more like a bow , youre going to want a solid lock on your stave.).


if thats out of the question , you might try affixing it to something like a 2x4 with rope at the ends. its extremely crude , but thats how im straightening some wood i cut a while back. this option would allow you to still use your straps too...


i know you got duct tape over there...

-hov

[KellyG]

Hova,
I moved rooms this one allows my big box to slide more. Plus it came with chair with wheels. I will bring over the metal folding chair, it does not roll when I use my legs to push on the box when I hit a tough spot.
I should be starting tillering by the end of this weekend or sooner. Once that happens the box will be plenty the force need is not as much on a rasp as a draw knife.
Thanks for the suggestion, I had thought about a shaving horse out of left over 2x4 here. I decide not to build it for I would want to take it back.
Thanks
Kelly

[KellyG]

So here is where I am.
Here is the narrow limb at 3/4" Draw knife maybe half an hour.
 
Here is the wide limb at 3/4" Draw knife and over an hour maybe 2. It did not want to give up any wood. That and the twisted limb at the end.
 
Now a close up of the wide end and the twist. This pic does not show it but the last 6" or so almost got 90degrees.
 
I am done for tonight. Now that I have also gotten ride of the troublesome knot that was sticking out the side of the belly I can start laying out. That is tomorrow check list, find center of bow length wise. Then decide what is excess length, and find center of future handle and make it. Then lay out limbs and trim the fat. She might even bend then.
Thanks, God bless and Happy building,
Kelly

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Looking good Kelly, don't worry about me I ain't going nowhere. I'll be right here watching every step of the way. You need me or anything from me just holler, otherwise I'll leave ya alone cause your doing real good.

That spoke shave works wonders on the belly for thinning down till you get within rasping distance. I'm actualy building the limbs for my take down Osage longbow with Osage/Rosewood riser. I'm hoping to have them bolted to the riser by tomorrow. I've got one limb chased down to the ring I want and working on the other one now. I also got both flats cut where it will bolt onto the riser. So I'm kinda working right along with ya.

[KellyG]

well heck where are the PICs it sounds like a nice color match.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I'll post some in a day or two, I want to get the limbs on it first before I show pics of it. It's still just roughed out, but I think it's gonna be kinda pretty in it's own unique way?
Not near as fancy as some guys on here make, but I guarantee there ain't another one like it anywhere that's for sure. lol

[Jim Dahlberg]

Looking good, Kelly.  Another quick suggestion.  Any old inner tubes about?  You could wrap the stave in one to help hold in place and protect your finished work as you proceed.  Bicycle inner tubes also work.  Keep up the good work!

[ber643]

Semo_Hunter, Rudy reminded me yesterday when he was down that you had your videos up now. I got to watch them this AM - great and I'm sure will be a big help to many. I can't believe that at my age I tried to use mine backwards (DUH!) and so just hung it up on the back of my workbench, as not my cup of tea. I'll know better now, thanks to you. It's a good Stanly 151 (looks to be same as yours by the colors). Nicely done videos (and I like your choice of music too, got some of theirs myself       ).

KellyG, you are coming along fine IMO, and have an info filled thread here - so thanks to you too.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Thanks Bernie, I'm glad you enjoyed the videos. I'm always learning and it might be from one of my elders or it might be from my 8yr. old nephew. I don't dismiss anybody for their ability to teach me something new and I like to share what I know with anybody who cares to listen.

When I first got my spoke shave I thought this thing is a piece of junk and I wasted my money on it, but I was bound and determined to learn how to use it. Boy I'm sure glad I did cause now it makes my bow building go so much easier and faster. It's now an important tool in my arsenal and I wish I would have bought one a year ago.
There's something to be said about the old ways and a tool like this one has stood the test of time being used for 100's of years, so I figured that it must be worth my time to learn how to use it and it sure was worth my time.

My own father was pretty impressed by how well it works, as he has tried to use planes and shaves in the past and never had much luck with them. He likes to watch me while I'm working on a bow and being a wood worker himself it's a compliment to me when I can impress him.

[KellyG]

SEMO_HUNTER,
I am working on getting mine shape. The Harbor Frieght one I got was about 5 buck. It was duller than a butter knife. I worked it on 400 grit but the right and left corners are not there yet. I am also working it on a coarse, medium and fine stone. The paper is the last step. I shows me where the stones are not hitting.
I hope to have it ready for the next stave. I know I have a week or more work on this one but hey got to plan for the future.

Thanks Ber643,
I am trying to make is so it makes sence for those like me who have never done this. I hope that with the help of the experts here it has become a good tool and resorce for those wanting to try. I even go back and edit some of my stuff. If it does not make sense to me later.

Thanks again Kelly

[KellyG]

Jim,
I have a bike with a flat now, once I get settled into my new room I will try and figure out a better holding system.
Thanks,
Kelly

[Stiks-n-Strings]

Looking good kelly

[KellyG]

Thanks Stiks,
I got some pulleys to day and mounted my tree. I was starting to put upsome line in pencil and a level and though maybe tape would be better. I could cut it 1" wide and have to only put it put ever other inch since the top and bottoms would be an Inch apart. Plus if I have to move agian it will make cleaning up a lot simpler, just pull the tap of the wall. So tomarrow I will try it and see.
I got the center maked down the bow and that was about it.
Kelly

[ber643]

I did a few build-a-longs on about 3-or 4 different forums on some early bows I did and I tried to do that too. Folks really seem to appreciate it. Most of mine are in/on the PaleoPlanet or Primitive Archer forums as we didn't have the Bowyers Bench here yet (then) but one or two of mine are in the archives here. Had one on the bow in my avatar but not sure if that one was on here or not. I enjoyed doing them (as you guys are) and plan to get back into it this year - if I can remember anything - LOL. Keep up the good work, guys.