I need help!!! Everytime I try to build a bow with a big knot in the working limb, it is a disaster. I think I left plenty of wood around the knot, but I am having a terrible time getting the limb to bend in this spot. Should I drill out the center of the knot and reduce the mass there or what? I have'nt heard and noise from it yet either    :rolleyes:    


 

Also there's a bigg whoop de doo right next to that    :D    

 

 

That is one character stave!! I bet you'll get a bow out of it

It might be a good idea to drill it out to help get it bending, but I have never worked with anything like that, so I wouldn't take my advice without a second opinion

Thats nasty Dano!!! Every one I've worked like that, I just tiller with it a bit stiff in that area...I'm sure someone here will come along with a better idea. A little more wood around it and ya coulda made a nice hole in the limb...peek a boo bow   :cool:

Oh sure now ya tell me George     I was planning on leaving it stiff too if I can get to survive.

That is a tough knot!  You treated it as if it were not there, but it looks pretty solid and is probably harder thn the wood itself.  Plus, with the grain riding up on the back, you need to hollow it on the belly to keep the thickness somewhat consistent.  As it is, the area is twice as thick and twice as wide.  That makes it 16x as strong as it surroundings.  Not counting it being harder which only makes it worse.

Looks like you need to drill it out and go with the surrounding wood.  I don't think you could trust it to stay put.  Besides, thats the point of big knots like that right?  Making the limbs with gaping holes.

Jeez is there that big a shortage of hedge over there in east IL?  Poor feller.

Lennie, it's the challenge right? Yeah, I'm down to my last bit of wood    I'll hollow it out a little at a time and see what happens.

Dano,

I made a bow with a huge knot in the upper limb.  After working it down to where it did some work it actually popped out of the limb.  After that it was easier to tiller but all the mass in the upper limb gave it a bit of hand shock.  Good luck with that.

Cody

you do under stand what Tom Wrote about being twice as wide being twice as strong  drill it out because it is so hard that it will not bend anyway.  being twice as thick is 8 times as strong and it wll never bend like the wood around it.

Dano......send it to Mickey!!    

Now we can call ya knothead to your face and you'll think its because of this bow.

No Lennie, I'll know the truth    

Anyhow, I drilled it out slowly to 7/16, kinda like tillering inside out, It seems to have helped.

Aint no such thing as "ugly" 'sage.  Gnarly and even mean spirited, but not ugly.  Have several with knots hanging around the place.  If it's solid get as much bend in the area as feasible.  If it's punky dig it out and you got a peep sight.  Just leave plenty of wood to either side.
Keith

This message previously only contained one or more inline attachment references all of which are now invalid.

Dano would you post a pic of the "hollowed out" knot.

Please

Here's the back side, Slim  

And the belly

Now Dano,

 We got to talk about the title of this thread. I've looked at them pics of yours and I'm wondering where the UGLY is. Looks awefull cool looking to me.

   

BTW I got with Mike about the snake skins. He set me up thanks.

Thats great Jason, what skins did you decide on?

Now that's a beauty.    My kind of bow wood.  

Dano, good luck. After seeing some of your bows I'm sure you can make it a shooter.
I've pretty much decided to just eliminate the big knots, go around them, and accept the bow that results. Even if the bow winds up more crooked you eliminate a lot of extra mass in the moving limb. That extra weight around the knot makes them shoot too harshly for my taste.

Thanks Linc and Steve, next time I make billets outa wood like this  :D