A 45 year old osage meets a 45 year old wood hacker!

[Osagetree]

In my younger years & while I hunted the ridges of Southern Ohio, I had watched this one osage tree for many deer and turkey hunting seasons. I would see it in the fall, winter and spring and I knew its habits of change. It was what I call a male tree as it never bore fruit. This osage was sturdy and high, almost void of limbs on the main trunk and straighter than most osage tree's in my area. I knew it would yeild many staves someday. To me for some reason it was a special tree, but I really didn't know why. Though I had been making selfows for almost 10yrs I never cut this tree saving it to cut for some unkown reason. I knew this tree was an old one and I had estimated it to be at around 50yrs or so.

I am by no means what I would call a bowyer, but I can make a bow that you can harvest big game with. More of a primitive design and method of selfbow making. Using mostly traditional hand tools like my Great Grandfathers old saw, his rasp and an old draw knife I picked up a flea market. I don't usually worry about a good finish on my selfbows, only worrying about the shootability and self assured confidence you need in a hunting bow. I would say I am a wood bow hacker rather than a bowyer.

Anyway's, in the late winter of 2007 I was running low on cured osage staves and needed to refill my stock. Not finding many good tree's of osage I resorted to cutting persimmon & hickory. It was then that I decided to take home the old male osage I had come to know over the years.

 

[James Wrenn]

I would have to meet that tree with a lot different tools than you have in the picture.  

[Osagetree]

The only other tools I had with me other than those in the picture were two metal wedges a 6ft step ladder and a 2lb sledge hammer.
My plan was to top the tree first and then fell the trunk piece I wanted to take home. This method of felling was done to avoid the top hanging up and not totaly falling. There were many other tree's close by that would not let it fall to the ground. With the top hung up in other tree's it would be almost impossible for one person to make the second cut. The saw would bind up due to the weight of the tree hanging up.
To make the first cut I would climb the ladder and make a cut all the way around the tree about 9 foot off the ground. Once I made that cut I would then use the wedges and hammer to pop out the center and fell the tree top in the direction I intended it to fall. The cut around the tree and into the middle took a couple hours I imagine. It was kinda stupid to be by myself doing that with all the weight involved. Always be sure to take someone with you!
With the top now off, I could make a second cut at the bottom off the tree. I made the other cut all the way around and used the wedges again to pop it off. This way of cutting all the way around would avoid any wood splitting as the tree fell over and I would take home a perfect log.

 

[Osagetree]

After a another hour or so the tree was down, but the work was not over. getting this beast out was a real job!
Once I had the tree to the ground I rested awhile beside the base and counted the growth rings back in time to the year 1964. It was then I realized this tree was about my age, give or take a season. That made me realize how short life and my brief space in time is in relation to time in general. Stuff like that makes you appreciate everything you have and forgive everyone you can while you can!

This tree I cut is not dead! It will serve a new purpose as a man made tool that can be used to survive and the tree stump it left in the woods will also live on. Many tree's I have cut are revisited and I find them sprouting new wonderfully straight shoots from the stump. I have actually reharvested a couple of these stump shoots for the making of osage walking sticks for me and my wife. These shoots left in the woods will eventualy grow and polenate other osage tree's in the area. Not to mention the cover its many limbs and thorns will provide the birds hiding out in the roost at night.

This tree gave me a new outlook on life and I hope to have in turn given it a new direction in its existance and contribution it makes to the habitat. Shoot I may even encourage another hunter to find the simplicity and grandure of hunting with a selfbow made of this osage tree.

   

Loaded up the wagon and headed home with my 45 year old log.

 

A good coat of shellac on each end, lots of wood splitting and a treatment of wood borer bug repelent. Placed up on the drying rack until cured to the present day.

 

[bentpole]

Joe, good to see you here again Bud. Looks like you have some work ahead of you. Good Luck and I'll be watching this thread.

[threeundr]

Joe, that's a great story. I can't wait to see what you make out of that piece of wood. I know it will be special!

-Leonard-

[knife river]

Great stuff, Joe!  Sounds like you and that osage tree were born for each other.  I'm looking forward to the rest of this story.    

[Osagetree]

Fast forward to about a month ago.

I selected a stave to make a bow. One of our Tradgang members contacted me and wanted me to make him a osage selfbow. It would be his first selfbow and I was honored he was willing to pay for the bow I made. I hate to sell my bows, I tend to put in a lot of work gathering the wood and making a bow and this with me, builds a relationship with every one I build.
After a little discussion we decided to make a trade. He would send me a Bob Lee 3 piece longbow in trade for the selfbow I had yet to build him. Me, having his bow first really put the pressure on me to turn out a good hunting bow that was an equal trade for the custom Bob Lee he had given me. To beat it all I have to get close to his weight of draw. I usually let the bow tell me what it will be in draw weight rather than forcing the wood to the weight I want it to be. Some of them turn out low in weight and other are heavey. Some turn out in the 50 to 55 pound range that I prefer to shoot with.
The curing process had alloted the staves to twist and give up the straightnes they held when split. This problem could be avoided if I would leave the log in 1/4's rather than 1/8th's, but I always seem to rush the curing time by making the staves thinner and roughing out a stave after a year or so, then hanging it over my baseboard heaters for a month or so. This way, I can use the wood after speeding up the drying. Sometimes I get a little set in the bow if I did get it dry enough and I try and avoid that!

The bow stave in my vise.

 

Getting the bark off is easy enough. Just a lot of dust and dirt get in the air when yanking it off with the drawknife. The dust chokes a man up at times if there is not good ventilation. I have a large draw knife I use to remove the bark and white wood. My small draw knife is for chasing the ring and the finer work. The big knife really takes off the wood and allows for easier removal work.

 

Once the bark is off the white wood is easy to make out from the contrast of the heart wood I want to use for a backing.

 

In this picture you can clearly see that the whitewood has been removed leaving only the heartwood. The heartwood as I call it is the sturdier more dense wood you want for a bow. Note that you can make out mother natures lamination process by identifiying the parallel growth rings that travel the length of the stave. These laminations will be what holds the bow together. Compromising the growth ring on the back of the bow will leave the ring violated and allow the wood to seperate and break at that point. The thin latewood or early season growth between each lamination is not as dense of wood and allows the drawknife to find its softness and remove all wood above that layer,,, hence the term chasing a ring for the back or backing of an osage selfbow.
(Can you tell I'm bored here writting in the rain and cold?)

 

I had chased this ring, but it being thin I proceeded to remove the lamination of rings down to a thicker ring that would be more suitable for a backing of a hunting weight selfbow made of osage.

 

I selected another stave as I prefer to have two in the making,,, incase one gives up the ghost. Then I have another stave at about the same to continue on my way. If the first stave starts looking like it will work I ussually lay the second choice aside at some point until I'm done with the first one. That is all just my habits at work and that I formed over time.

 

I like to use an old chalk line to find the center verticle line of the bow. Here you can see the second stave I selected,,, my back up stave, so to speak. Once the center line is identified I rough out the bow to outside demensions and bring it in the house to dry over the baseboard heater.

 

[Osagetree]

Once the bow has dried for a week or so it is back to removing wood down closer to the finished profile that I marked out with a pencil. Once close to these lines I find a couple questionable spots in the limbs backing and edge. As I proceed slowly I am able to remove the questionable flaws in the wood and still leave enough wood to make a bow.

Side of limb;
   

Backing growth ring;
 

Removing the flaw in the back was as easy as going down another ring or two and the side flaw came out as I closed in on the profile line. it is there but hardly noticable.

Backing;
 

Belly showing belly rings tappered towards the limb tips;
 

[ranger 3]

I'm really watching this one and enjoying it.

[Osagetree]

On to the tiller tree to even the draw and arch of the limbs. Aftet a bit of initial tillering you can see the side profile shows some natural and induced string follow.

 

Once the long string tiller is close, I finish off the tool marks by scraping the wood with the drawknife. And this scraping helps shape the fades and handle to its final dimensions.

 

Taking the heatgun to the wood, I then work at the shape of the bow to create a more efficient and pleasing to the eye profile. Now it is time to to finish the limb tips and proceed with the short string tillering.

 

Once the heatgun has been used the moisture of the wood has been altered and allowing the bow to set idle for a week or so is always a good idea. It lets the moisture even out in the bow. Sometimes, bows have broken due to them being so dry and trying to bend them shortly after using the heatgun.

Evening out moisture for a week or so;
 

[Huntrdfk]

This is awesome Joe, I love the history you have shared with this tree/staves and bow to be.  Can't wait to se the rest......


David

[Pat B]

Excellent build along from tree to almost bow! Great story and the medicine that in imparted to this bow will carry the new owner to success.
Joe, after reading your thoughts so far, and following your build alone I'd have to say that you ARE a bowyer! Well done!

[Whip]

This is a great thread Joe!  I have no doubt you will inspire someone to try one of their own.  Gotta love that yellow wood!  

[Wannabe1]

Man, I think Osage is the most beautiful of woods. Great thread Joe and thanks for taking us along! Work is looking good.  

[4runr]

Been looking forward to another "Classic", Joe. I always enjoy your work my friend.

[Osagetree]

Once I felt like the staves moisture was more even throughout the limbs, I worked on the tiller some more and got it strung to brace height and pulling about 26" @ #64. More pounds than I'd been shooting for, but I still have to get it to full draw and a good sanding of this bow is in order since it goes to a new friend. Working the limbs more and sanding it more I hoped would bring down the weight a bit more.
The limb tips were shaped out using a large rat tail rasp and a 5/16" chainsaw sharpening file making the string grooves.

 

The profile looks okay, but the loop of the flemish string catches the back of the groove at about 27" of draw. Not shown in this picture, but later on I round off the rear of the string nocks so that the string and nocks do not interfere with each other at the end of the draw.

 

Due to my thinning the tips to a point such as I did, I felt some whitetail anlter tip overlays would reinforce the tips for such a stout hunting bow. And, I thought it would inhance the looks as well.

 

The overlays fit well after some fine sanding on both the underside of the antler overlays and on the back of the tips. I use titebond II wood glue or super glue to attach tip overlays. None of them have ever popped off. With the string groove already in the wood, the antler portion of the groove is easy to file out all the way aroung its surface using the chainsaw file.

 

Knowing I like snake skins, a friend of mine called me one day and asked me over. He said he had a big copperhead in his shed and he wanted me to get it out. It was a mad, scared snake hiding under old tools that were under a work bench. I could not get to it and each time we waited for it to come out, it spooked back under the bench. Finally he grabbed the 410 and shot it as it poked its head out from under the bench. Man it was a big snake! I skinned it and dried it out and it hang in his shed for almost 10 years. Just recently he gave me the skin for making him a selfbow and I had it put up in my shed for a special bow I would make someday. I thought this bow was worthy of such a skin and for the fine bow I had recieved, I decided to give it up to my new Tgang friend Chas and his first selfbow.

The skin was big enough to cut down the middle and still cover the width of the limbs from end to end. Making sure the tail end of each half was applied towards the tips for a more uniform pattern, I began to glue on the skins.

 

Soaking the dried skin in warm water for 30 minutes or so rehydrated the skin so as if it had just been skinned that day. Using the wood glue and an ace bandage I glued up and wrapped up the skin to the bow. Then it was left all wrapped up for a day or so.

 

After unwrapping the ace bandage after a day or so the now dried skin was trimmed up with a flat file and some sand paper. This resulted in a copperhead backed osage selfbow that looked pretty mean to me.
Now the bow must set and dry out the moisture induced into the wood by the water based wood glue used to apply the skin. this time the bow stays in the house above the baseboard heater to dry for a week,,, at least!

 

[Larry Surtees]

           

[barebow17]

Nice

[Osagetree]

Elk hide was sent from Chas for the handle wrap. It was given to him some time ago by another archery related friend. The handle wrap of elk hide would add meaning to the bow for Chas and would also match the decor of the bow.
After the bow bow had dried out from the skin glue up, I took it ouback and shot it a few dozen times. One of my friends were over to the house and was impressed with how hard the bow was shooting even at the scant 12yrds away from the target.
I was not pleased with the bow as the handle was thin and uncomfotable with the draw weight of this bow. I took two thick peices of leather and soaked them with superglue and glued that to the left side or shelf side of the handle riser. When you soak leather in superglue and it dries out, the leather is the consistency of wood and can be shaped just like wood using a wood rasp or file.
Once the leather was dried and shaped to the handle, the fit was much better to the hand. The leather addition would also allow me to incorperate a built in arrow shelf on the bow. The elk hide from Chas's friend would cover all of the leather add on except for a small protruding arrow shelf. The top of the leather shelf was slightly rounded of to reduce contact with the arrow when it is released.
Before the handle is wrapped up with the elk hide, the snake skin backing is treated with 4 or 5 coats of superglue to even out or smooth out the texture of the skin. Then several coats of spar urethane is applied.
The elk hide is cut then soaked in warm water and sewn on tightly around the handle of the bow. When the hide dries out it will shink a bit and conform to the new shape of the handle.

 

The handle is not only more comfortable but, also pleasing to the eye. At least to me it is! I thinned out another piece of the elk hide and glue the triangle shaped pad to the inside of the shelf to better silence the release of an arrow.

 

The string in this picture is black and yellow. For some reason I think this bow needs a brown and yellow string so, tomorrow evening I plan to make another string for this bow.

 

As I create a bow I usually find it a name, for some reason it just is not coming to me yet.

 

But, I am not quite done either, I still want to make a string keeper of left over elk hide, serve the arrow portion of the new string, add in some string silencers and then maybe shoot it a hundred times or so to make sure it is good and tuned before sending it to Chas.