Osage Selfbow help needed

[Robyn Hode]

I am currently working on my second osage selfbow and I need some advice. I had a belly knot that was deeper than I expected. When I removed wood from the sides to shape the bow I noticed the knot goes almost all the way through the bow. To make things worse it's on the side of the limb.

     
Side View

     
Belly view

   
Back View
 
   
Distance from fade

The knot 7.5 inches up from the fade and the bow back is 1.5 inches wide at the knot.
I planned the bow to be 62 inches NTN.

Is this knot a problem or do I need to some how fix it?

Thanks in advance.

[John Scifres]

I have many bows like that.  I basically removed all traces of the limb as I followed the grain around it.

As long as you follow the grain around it, you should be fine.  Use a light touch with your rasp as you narrow the limb to remove it.  You might leave it a bit thick to make up for any width you lose.  Alternatively, you could change your overall width to the maximum you can get after fully removing the limb residue.

It is in a heavily working part of the limb so be careful during tillering to watch it for problems.

Have fun.

Bring it to the   Southern Indiana Bowhunt  and kill something with it  

I'll be out in Parke County for the youth hunt with my kids in a couple weeks.  The freezer is almost devoid of venison so we hope to rectify that!

[Robyn Hode]

Thanks John. I was able to rasp it out following the grain. I'll leave it little thick there as you suggested.

I'm not sure this bow will be done in time to hunt with this year. It has a lot of knots and some limb twist but I have other bows. I'll try to make the hunt if I don't have to work.

Thanks again

[Robyn Hode]

I think I finally have this bow untwisted, straightened, and ready for tillering but the back of the bow (and bow handle) is not flat so how do I level the bow on the tree? Is there a trick?

Thanks in advance.

[Pat B]

The bow should sit with the belly side of the handle on the tree, at least it does on my tree. You won't really know if you got the twists out until you first string it. Until then it is not important.

[mikkekeswick]

If you have got rid of the knot then that width should determine the rest of the bows maximum width. So you said the limb was 1.5 inches wide before? I make all my osage bows upto 60# or so around 1 1/4 wide at their widest. No need to go wider. My main point is though do not have a narrow section or even worse a thicker section. There is no need to have this section working less and lots of reasons to make it do its fair share. If you left it slightly thicker then you are overstraining the wood either side of the thicker section.

[Robyn Hode]

My bow does sit with the belly on the tree. My teillering tree is very similar to Roy from PA's.

I am trying to level the bow on the tillering tree.

When I place a level across the back of the bow on the tree it always reads off level because the back of the handle has knots. How important is it to have the bow perfectly level on the tree? Can I just eye it level? I'm worried about limb timing if the bow is tiller'd off level or am I over thinking?

Thanks

[Roy from Pa]

Level it tip to tip. Ya see the long black horizontal line on the wall? That is level with the top of my trees cradle. At the tips, it's hard to see but I have black lines on the wall, equally spaced above the long black line in 1/2" increments. I level the "bottom" of both tips to the same line on each end.

 

[Pat B]

When working with staves it is usually difficult to get anything level. Like Roy said get the tips level. Learning to see good tiller is your goal, whether its level or not.

[Robyn Hode]

Roy - I just re-did my tillering tree to be very similar to yours, I use to tiller to center of the bow now I am trying to tiller to middle finger. I have the black horizontal and vertical lines and the yard sticks going down but I did not see those 1/2" increment lines. I will add those 1/2" lines and see where my tips end up. I may just cut an inch off the higher tip and make it the bottom limb.

Thanks

[Roy from Pa]

I just put those end lines on the wall about a month ago. I used to measure each end before. The lines make it much easier.. Coors Light could have been a factor there.. LOL

[Bowjunkie]

Do NOT particularly concern yourself with getting the tips level.

Ask Roy how many odd shaped selfbows he's made with this method. Deflex in one limb, reflex in the other? Level the tips? Yeah right. Good luck with that.

Get the handle (the shooter's side of the handle) 'level' in the tree. In other words, make it such that the tree supports it how you want to hold it... not how it MAKES you hold it. Keep in mind, assuming in the end limb strength is balanced, you don't want the handle tipping one way or the other in your bow hand AT ALL.

Then draw it from your string hand's fulcrum point, drawing perpendicular to the handle, and gauge relative limb strength by which way the hook drifts from the line. It will drift toward the stronger limb.

The closer the bow's longitudinal center is designed to coincide with the string hand fulcrum the better. You can take my word for it, or I can explain in detail, but we'll be getting in pretty deep if I do :^)

[Bowjunkie]

Robyn, you are on a good path. Don't settle, keep an open mind and question everything. Always do the best you're capable of and strive to make each one better than the last. You will create fine bows.

[Roy from Pa]

Yup bowjunkie, you can spread it pretty deep...  

[Bowjunkie]

Absolutely. No doubt that's partly why you love me.

[Roy from Pa]

Well ya didn't think it was cuz ya know anything about bow building, did ja?  

Look at this young puppy.. LMAO

 

[Bowjunkie]

Yeah, I might have one or two more gray hairs nowadays.

That's YOUR hickory selfbow. Probably the first and last selfbow you made, ya bum.

Made a lot of bows in that tiny little shop back then. Now I'm workin' on shop #3.

[Roy from Pa]

Now you are forgetting the yew bow I made...

[Robyn Hode]

I just got back to tillering this Osage bow again but now the bow wants to tip forward and flip on the tree when I pull the rope. The bow sits flat/level and the string is directly under the bow.

The bow is not fastened to the cradle it sits free to move when the limbs move. Should I clamp the bow in the cradle or do I have another problem?

I appreciate the help. Thanks

[Jack Skinner]

Is the handle bulbous or flat like a hill style. If flat then your bow is twisted. You can try a wedge between the handle and the back or front of your tree handle support. But I think once you get it off the tree and try to string you will find that it is twisted.