1st attempt at Osage bow from a stave

[JohnnyBa]

Here are end pics. I have started at one end reducing the back as the way I see it, these cracks could deem this a mistaken purchase and pure practice, I do not mind. I can get another stave….let me know. Now it’s 72” but I know it has to be shorter. I have a 25” draw so was shooting for 62, if I can get it.

[Pat B]

You've got nice, thick rings with good early/late ring ratio so chasing a ring should be pretty easy if you take your time. Like I said, start about 6" from the end and chase the ring back to the end then go out another 6" and so on to the middle and do the same. If the stave has knots and/or pin knots leave an island of the previous ring around it. If you try to work over the knots you will violate the back ring. Once you have gotten to a good, clean back ring work each knot or pin from the center out around the knot so you don't violate the back. Leave the stave full length until you get a clean back ring then figure out where the bow you want will fit in with the least amount of anomalies. Post pics of the back when you get a clean back ring so we can help you lay out your bow.
 If you don't already have shellac buy a can of spray shellac and seal the back as soon as you get to a clean ring. Spray shellac is a little more expensive($8 to $10) but it is more convenient and has a lot longer shelf life than the ready mix stuff. I keep a can on my work bench all the time. Never know when you might need it.
Patience, patience, patience!!! 
 Remember, you are working with an irregular piece of wood so don't try to make everything perfectly flat and straight like with a glass bow. Take advantage of the character of the stave and work with it, not against it.

[Skeeterlegs]

I think I'd cut a bit off each end and see if I could get past those splits. The sapwood has to come off. I use a hatchet to get close to the heartwood then switch to a drawknife. The first heartwood ring under the sapwood is not useable most of the time so don't worry if you chop into it while removing the sapwood. Get the sapwood off then reduce the stave to about 3 inches wide for it's entire length. Chasing one ring will be a lot easier on a 3" stave vs one 5 or 6" wide.

[Pat B]

How wide is that stave across the back?

[Mad Max]

X2 on what pat B said
Osage only needs to be 1-1/4" wide

As you are chasing off a ring if it feels cold to the palm of your hand, it's probably still to wet.

[JohnnyBa]

How wide is that stave across the back?

3” avg. seems to be nice, but it’s a start and I like the idea of chasing a ring and will not do anything until that is done.

[Pat B]

Yeah, you won't know what's under the first few rings until you remove them. As a beginner I'd take each ring down the full length of the stave, one at a time. It will take longer but you can get practice chasing a ring by the time you get to the one you want to use...and I'd use the first good ring you can achieve for the back.
 Be sure to seal the back as soon as possible as it is exposed. After you cut the stave to length seal the ends.

[JohnnyBa]

Thanks all for much needed advice. I guess one important thing is to get some shellac ASAP as I did some work, very minimal but where I have left it in sealed has already cracked. Is/are all staves like this, req,uiring resealing after removing wood, or just Osage.? Thanks again all! More to follow along with slews of questions.

[Kirkll]

Do you self bowyers use moisture meters at all?  If so. What kind of MC level do you want when chasing rings?  Kirk

[Skeeterlegs]

Sounds like your stave is still green. If it was seasoned it wouldn't do that. Good advice to seal it up, especially if you live in a hot dry climate. It's hard to quick season Osage like you can with some of the white woods, using a drying box. I don't use a moisture meter. I cut and split Osage, seal the ends well with paint or glue then put it somewhere dry and forget about it for several years. My first Osage bow was made from wood that had seasoned only 6 months or so and it did make a bow, but it took a lot of set. FWIW, In 1989 when I made it, it was about 55 lbs. Fast forward to today and it's around 70lbs.

[Mad Max]

Do you self bowyers use moisture meters at all?  If so. What kind of MC level do you want when chasing rings?  Kirk

For Osage stave, after a year and a half there is no need for a moisture meter.
Osage is all I have used and I have about 12 now, all are dry enough, 1 has a date of 2015 and I know I have others that old.
Years ago I cut a hunk off a OLD stump in the ground with a chainsaw and it was 13%
8 to 10% for Hickory for sure.

[Pat B]

The old rule of thumb is 9% to 11% moisture content(M/C) for most bow woods, hickory likes 5% to 6%. Over time all bow woods hit equilibrium with the relative humidity(R/H) in your area. From there you can reduce the M/C of the stave by storing in a controlled environment like inside your house with ac or heat on or in a hot box.
 Kirk, I don't use a moisture meter but usually use well seasoned wood(at least 1 year but more is better) and can tell if a stave is well seasoned by the sound and feel of the wood as I work it and by how it recovers when bent.
 Johnny, if the stave is green you can take it down to floor tiller stage without straining it. Now, lay it under your bed and forget it for a while. You can also make a simple form from a 2x4 and clamp the reduced stave in reflex as it dries.                Be sure the back and ends are sealed.

[JW_Halverson]

Do you self bowyers use moisture meters at all?  If so. What kind of MC level do you want when chasing rings?  Kirk

The moisture meter I use is a digital kitchen scale set to read in grams. I write the weight on the back of the stave with a pencil along with the date and keep weighing and recording until it flat out stops losing weight.

[Mad Max]

Do you self bowyers use moisture meters at all?  If so. What kind of MC level do you want when chasing rings?  Kirk

The moisture meter I use is a digital kitchen scale set to read in grams. I write the weight on the back of the stave with a pencil along with the date and keep weighing and recording until it flat out stops losing weight.

Yep me too