Thursday 17 July 2014

Indecision and Yellow Sawdust

I'm having a bit of a sort through my staves, not the best.
I want to do another Deflexed Recurve. I had hoped to use Laburnum, but the two staves I have are barely 60" long, same with much of my Yew. The longer bits will splice to make longbows, I s'pose I can splice two of the shorter bits of Yew to make the DR, and the splice gives a chance to introduce deflex in at the join, mind a spliced join isn't going to like heat treating later. The shorter billets aren't very deep and you need some depth for the splice and to give a deep narrow grip.
Oh dear the indecision... I could use the Osage I got from the Classic, but that's rather fine ringed, mind Osage would take the strain of that design, but it's not very wide or deep... maybe a narrower version?.... maybe cut some more Elder? No, that can wait for Winter.... maybe make the Native American (NA) bow I've been threatening to make for a mate of mine?
Oh dear, maybe I'll just drone on writing this and drinking my tea.
Well I set to on the scruffy Osage I got from my friend a while back, he bought it on t'web from Eastern Europe I believe. It's got some splits in it, but I've roughed it down and followed a ring. I've cut it to about 60" long 1 1/4" wide for an Eastern NA style bow. It's twisted a bit and got some swoops and dips, plus a gouple of knots and a longitudinal crack, and rather thin rings. The lateral bends would make it suit a right handed shot but my mate is left handed, but other than all that it's fine! It will need plenty of heat straightening, might even give the tips a little hint of recurve like some NA bows.
Osage is tough as heck so it should be fine for 40# @26".
Just for the record I've heard people call it Oss-idge  (like sausage)

but over in the USA they all called it Oh-sage which is how I thought it was pronounced.

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