self bow

[Fleatrap1]

I would like to attempt a self bow made of Osage.  I have a tree picked out, if I harvest this winter how long should I wait before it is dry enough to work.  Also, in the meantime....is there any wood I can pick up say at a lumber yard to make a practice bow??

[Pat B]

I would wait at least a year. You can reduce the staves to almost bow size and it will dry quicker but I'd wait the year anyway. Red oak board from Home Depot or Lowe's would be the cheapest and easiest.

[Bowjunkie]

If you remove the bark and sapwood, seal the back, reduce the size, and follow sound, proven drying principles, you can begin shaping and tillering inside of a couple months.

Check out Dean Torges' book, Hunting the Osage Bow. It covers it very nicely.

[Fleatrap1]

Thanks!!

[John Scifres]

Highly recommend Torges' book too.  It has everything you need.  Buy it and read the tree cutting chapter before you cut your tree.

[michaelschwister]

I have made more than one that came in uder 30 days from cutting the tree to finished bow.  It must be worked down immediately and kept in a drying device when not being worked, but 21 days is even posible.

[Pat B]

Woods like osage need more than a month or two to dry before building a bow. You can do it sooner but the results will be less desirable than if you wait.

[Jack Skinner]

In Wyoming's dry environement I have reduced to almost bow, like floor tiller and had bow tillered and in the white in right at 4 months. I was careful throughout the tillering process and watched for any string follow. I think it would have been fine at 3 months. I finally got around to putting finish on the bow in Nov and it is a great shooter. I kind of just worked the bow and let it dry, then worked it some more and let it dry. It worked fine here but again 30% or less humidity. Take today for example east coast gitting hit with snow, my humidity today 11-20%. The rest of the split log I left drying for one year with bark on and just started on those billets. So far they seem plenty dry. So our low humidity is good for drying bow wood, if only good bow wood grew around here.