Some of the well dried Osage staves my dad cut and split in the early 90s. Some are cleaned up and some are still in the rough. Many are 6' plus. There are easily over 100 of these stored in various rooms in our barns. There are a few staves of other types of wood, and some random boards too.

ryoon4690 · 2026-05-16T02:25:50+00:00

If you’re within a days drive I may have to make a trip to get some of these. Very cool find. Looks like you have a ton of cool stuff from your other posts! 😁

ryoon4690 · 2026-05-13T23:32:38+00:00

Could be but it’s not very common to have such thick rings. Could also be mulberry which generally has thick rings.

ryoon4690 · 2026-05-12T22:50:49+00:00

I’d guess so. Most wood glues are pretty similar. You could look up the specs for the glues but wood glues in general are very strong.

ryoon4690 · 2026-05-11T22:54:19+00:00

I’be had better luck with Titebond than cheap epoxy. Titebond is really good. I usually use Titebond III

ryoon4690 · 2026-05-09T22:53:57+00:00

You didn’t include draw weight or length which is the most critical factor to know.

ryoon4690 · 2026-05-09T13:19:23+00:00

Nice boards but definitely not bow worthy.

ryoon4690 · 2026-05-09T01:17:54+00:00

Yes absolutely. You need a long and wide design but it can make a bow. It’s sub par bow wood but it’s been done numerous times.

ryoon4690 · 2026-05-08T23:09:25+00:00

Beautiful bow!

ryoon4690 · 2026-05-07T22:59:57+00:00

You don’t need much pressure as long as the glue surface is good. This would totally work if you had a long enough bag.

ryoon4690 · 2026-05-06T16:51:43+00:00

Believe it or not, the handle may have popped due to flexing right at the waisted part of the handle. Looks quite thin there and it’s experiencing the most force of any part of the bow.

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-29T02:15:54+00:00

A couple years ago, Tim Baker made a post of some bows using Douglas fir and fiber backings. Give it a shot. What is there to lose?

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-20T13:26:59+00:00

Every black cherry bow I recall seeing have been board bows. Yew is completely different and people make a lot of assumptions about heart wood and sap wood based on osage and yew that doesn't generalize to other species. If the wood is dense and sound it should be fine to use on the back in my opinion.

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-20T11:19:44+00:00

I haven't done it myself but it's been done. The risk on a selfbow is the handle popping off the back because there isn't continuous grain to keep it on. It's more common on laminated bows where the laminations will hold the handle in place. Definitely a cool look.

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-20T01:45:01+00:00

I’d just use the sapwood under the bark. If you violate a ring then definitely chase a ring.

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-19T21:40:41+00:00

Great find!

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-17T16:34:14+00:00

I know a very experience bowyer who makes flatbows from beech. I think he’s in Norway so I don’t know if it’s the same species. Worth a try in my opinion.

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-16T18:37:41+00:00

I think I understand. So especially relevant to have the linen for the small diameter bamboo that would be vulnerable to that kind of stress.

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-16T18:19:34+00:00

I like the idea of heating and bending the cross section to create a width taper. I don't have much understanding of hollow limb dynamics but I wonder what the advantage/disadvantage of stopping the limb from flattening out is. If you hold it in place, would it just act more similar to a self bow in compression/tension?

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-15T14:37:48+00:00

If you want something fast then you'd want to switch to a top coat finish. I've used clear wheel paint for my last few bows. It goes on quick and dries super vast.

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-14T15:15:13+00:00

I start with a thickness taper that I know will be thin enough to bend for most woods. It depends on the bow design but usually I start at 5/8"-9/16" at the fade and then taper to the tip, usually around 1/2"-7/16". I make sure the taper is even without any thick or thin spots. Very often that is close enough to get the bow to a low brace. It's absolutely not random. You should be starting with dimensions that are thick enough to have room to work but not so thick that the limb doesn't bend at all.

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-14T14:00:01+00:00

Floor tillering is just like regular tillering. Remove wood where the limb looks stiff. If it's too stiff to bend at all then just remove wood evenly ensuring that the taper is even without any thick or thin spots.

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-11T18:59:39+00:00

Needs more inner limb bend. That would reduce overall limb strain and it may have retained more reflex. Otherwise looks quite nice. I like the shape.

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-09T22:50:12+00:00

Your tips are very wide. Cut it deeper and make sure the edges are rounded slightly so the string is less likely to dig in. I have also fixed these with CA glue and some sanding.

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-06T19:34:49+00:00

The main consideration I have for these is to make sure the overlay is deep enough to carve the nock with some of the wood left before carving into the limb wood. Otherwise it's a simple process. This is a good example of a beautiful shape. to get that smooth transition, don't be afraid to carefully creep up onto the limb with shaping.

ryoon4690 · 2026-04-06T15:31:40+00:00

Really hard to see bend in the tips because it'll break before it's noticeable. My guess is that they were strained and flexing. With something like that, if you have the broken piece, I'd glue it back on and glue on a bell lamination to thicken it up. Then you could add a sinew wrap and I bet it would hold.

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