First osage selfbow and ring chasing.....PICS ADDED

[highpoint forge]

Roughing the final shape of this initial venture into bow making and trying a 50" stave. Well I yanked a big chunk off one tip:

   

Obviously surface checked badly but do I just start at the lowest ring where the big chunk tore off and hopefully get beneath the checks? I'm thinking if the handle is too thin afterwards I can build it back up with another wood or a block of Osage....?

Not sure here...

[PEARL DRUMS]

Man alive! Your really hitting it hard for a first bow. I know people who have made 20-30 that wouldn't try that jewel. Those checks look gnarly from here. Usually if they stay within the bows lines your okay, those are too close to an unfinished edge. Meaning when you clean up and shape your profile you are going rasp right into them. And yes, you do need to go down yet another ring to get your tear out gone. If you have a better stick, Id suggest grabbing it now.

[highpoint forge]

This is for my son and thought it might be fun.

Walking stick it is!!

[John Scifres]

Yep, you are in your ring on the right side.  Just get the left side into the ring and take it slow.  You might get below those wind shakes/checks.  You might get a kids bow out of it but you will certainly get some practice.  Be on the lookout for better wood.  There's bound to be tons of it nearby.

[highpoint forge]

Look at my big osage log found thread I started recently. So I started to do as you say and work back left and sucked keeps tearing on me, but I'm not giving up yet, good practice. I think my lighting needs to be better as i'm in a hard time distinguishing between the early and late wood. Also this was wood is not 100 percent seasoned imho. I'm draw knifing the whitish layer and my knife keeps diving down too deep.

[darin putman]

Are you using drawknife bevel up or bevel down, bevel down really helps me to keep from digging too deep.

[highpoint forge]

Bevel facing me.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Ive read many times over about the "right" way to use a draw knife. After looking at many and using many, there is really only one right way. Bevel down as designed. I have friends who use them backwards. Its not right, but they've learned to make it work, most often. When the bevel is done as designed, you cant hardly dig in, the knife can be smoothly DRAWN through the wood.

[LittleBen]

I've heard people advocate for a slightly dull draw knife for Osage, that way it only cuts easily in the crumbly early wood, and won't really cut into e late wood unless you really crank on it. Never tried it though ... Never used Osage, only mulberry and not very much.

[Bowjunkie]

I know my draw knife well. I keep it sharp. Whether I use it bevel up or down depends on what I need from it... just like flipping over a farrier's rasp as needed, or keeping different size curls on my scraper and flipping it as needed. 'Right' is what works best for the task at hand.

When I'm hogging off bark, sapwood, and blasting down through heartwood, pulling off long and thick curls, it's usually done bevel up. When I need to use finess, chase a thin ring, work around knots, etc. I usually run it bevel down, often using tool angle and the bevel itself as a depth stop.

[John Scifres]

Often times if you are tearing wood, it helps to turn the stave around and work the other tip first.  The grain is a complex thing and can confound you so try it from a different direction.

It is also very difficult to hog wood and chase a ring at the same time.  Those rings are thick so you need to thin them down before you try to chase the ring.

I usually chase the ring above the ring I want first, and quickly, bevel up.  And then work with some more finesse with the bevel down.  Depending on the thickness of the rings, I may thin the ring above my desired ring a little (as you should do in this case).

I also work from the ring above the desired ring into the desired ring when I use the bevel down.  You can go the other way when you are hogging wood and splitting off lots of waste wood above your desired ring.  Then when you get to finesse, you want to cut the wood off in a very controlled way.

I also mark the knots and other issues and skip over those when I am working more quickly, coming back later with more finesse.

And a dull knife is for splitting.  Splitting is not my preference as it often leads to nearly imperceptible damage to my hard chased ring.  I keep a very sharp draw knife.

[Bowjunkie]

Great info there, John. I do exactly as you do.

[John Scifres]

Jeff, Thanks. Somehow that doesn't surprise me  

[highpoint forge]

When I'm working the sides should I use a rasp instead and should I only work a FULLY 100% seasoned stave? This wood was dead standing for years, bark was just barely clinging and brushed right off.....I'm having a much harder time not tearing the wood off when chasing a ring but can see this is not exactly a straight grained piece of wood!! I'm working in my garage under fluorescent lighting and I'm having a hard time seeing what's a ring and what's not.

[highpoint forge]

As an aside, I own the only Osage Argos longbow made by JD Berry and the face of the bow stave has checks and knots under the finish, which is why he does not like to work with Osage as a bow wood, not uniform enough. So he and I discussed this and the bow was a special project after his favorite great Dane died which was commissioned by K9 here on the forum.

[Bowjunkie]

Highpoint, you took a rough road my friend... I did likewise for my 1st selfbow.... osage, standing dead for many years. It was like petrified wood, dark rust-brown throughout and I remember thinking early on that I must not be using my tools correctly as all I could remove with much effort was tiny, tiny chips, and later thinking that if all osage was equally as hard, that I probably would never attempt another. Luckily that wasn't the case and I've never encountered another one like it. 'Regular osage' works nothing like that.

Get yourself another piece my friend.

I DID manage to make a bow with that piece, and still have it.

[highpoint forge]

Im a masochist...

[John Scifres]

I'm not sure I understand the question about working the sides as it relates to chasing a ring.  I use only a draw knife and scraper almost exclusively.

I prefer to chase rings on green wood if possible.  My joints have suffered enough  

Good osage is easy to work.  But it is rare.  I have looked at thousands of osage trees and cut maybe a couple hundred.

Masochism is fine but keep your expectations in check.  I'll credit your enthusiasm but caution against burnout and judging osage as a bow wood by the piece you are working or even the one in the bow you mentioned.  And no offense to Mr. Berry but he is a glass bowyer.  His goals are far different.  Variations in material don't suit assembly.  Creating a selfbow is more akin to sculpture where the variations are an asset.  But they do force a bit more creativity and vision.

[highpoint forge]

John it was tongue in cheek sarcasm, but I never hate a challenge. With this stuff you must use what is presented albeit with creativity, no?

I'll photograph each stave I have to use and I'd love input as to direction.

[John Scifres]

Oh, I know     And yes, smoke 'em if ya' got 'em.

Happy to have the opportunity to learn from everyone right along with you.