OK - Partially kidding. Anyway I finally was able today to start on the very nice Osage stave that friend Mike Brooks found for me to learn on. I really enjoyed it. I had seen it before, and Mike sowed me very basically how to start out with the Draw Knife. Today we got serious and I really started learning what, why, and how to proceed. These will not be quick lessons as we can only get together every so often (like next weekend I'll be on a trad shoot). So this may be a long drawn out process but suffice to say after this first half day I would love to lay into it every day until I finished a bow or the stave beat me into the ground. Mike does the teaching and observing, I provide the elbo grease and do the learning, I hope - I learned a lot today - IMO. Here are some pics of the stave and my beginnings, for those interested.

Here you can see the stave has some nice natural setback or deflex starting out:



In this one, you can see the little patch of cuttings at stave center from when I first took the Draw knife in hand for an intro, some time back:



Here you can see that I am lucky enough to have pretty wide Growth rings and new growth areas revealed. We felt I stood a good chance of using the first clean (actually the second one, I guess) growth ring and we proceeded with that assumption:



Here are a couple of shots of my first attempts at Chasing a ring on an osage stave. Got just about half of the back nicely exposed this afternoon (I'm a slow, hopefully methodical worker - LOL:

Finally, here are the shavings from my first day attacking this poor unsuspecting, and (I feel) beautiful stave. Hope you enjoyed my first halting steps on a selfbow:

Bernie you're a bow making machine now!

Go Bernie go!!!  

starting my first bow soon too!

Bernie, all i can say is carry on, if at first you don't succed try try again, and i hope to be doing that next spring!!! keep me posted. Looks good so far!!    

Good start Bern. I have no doubt that you'll enjoy this trip and be satisfied with where it takes you. Carry on ............

Cool Bernie. I've been waiting for this. I knew you couldn't hold out too long. By the way, you shouldn't have any trouble chasing one of those rings. I know you will end up with a fine bow!
Enjoy the process!    Pat

Thanks for the kind comments and the very welcome encouragement, friends. I am really looking forward to it. When Mike and I finished today we went outside his shop to fling a few arras before calling it a day. I was shooting one of his Osage bows that he says probably is close to what I should come out with. It was a good shooter and fun to shoot as well.

   

yeah way to go me old mate.will it be finished by the time i arrive?       from ya cheeky mate in NZ LOL!!!!

Thats where you've been all day!(LOL) Couldn't be a better place than with friends building bows. Keep up the good work Bernie. I hope you have it ready by Sissipahaw....no rush or anything      :D

ALRIGHT Bernie.!!!!          

Hey Bernie is there room for a cott in the shop? Looking good Bern!<><

Afraid "soon" is not in the cards, guys. Mike's got a good second career but they work him to death, so our "Git-r-done" time is severly limited.  There is room for a cot in there, Frank - but you'd soon look like a(nother) pile of shavings  

A number of various posters have agreed that taking my time was important anyway. One very well known bowyer even said "Remember, Bernie, speed kills!"    I thought that was very appropriate.

Go Bernie. Go Bernie! Go Bernie...!

 

Just don't sniff the shavings...They say that yellar wood'll git ya! Or in yer blood and make ya quit shooting them glass bows...

PS. I want in the will on the list for SS

Bernie - I'm a fellow Learner.  I have to keep reminding myself that everything that arises is another lesson to be applied to my next stave.  by the way - I would love to get a stave of bo-darc with no knots or cracks, or major twists.  maybe I'm dreaming.  Keep shaving and show us the bow that is lurking inside that stave!

I hope i will be able to do that in the not too awfully distant future, va.

I know, Doc - already got folks I respect a lot telling me that if I want to get good with the wood bows I gotta lay down the glass ones -   :eek:  Also I notice I am not having to pick my spot quite as far to the right with my wood bows ... and at the same time I am beginning to need to pick a spot a little to the left with my ACS   :p  (It was the same when I first switched to trad - "get rid of them wheels if ya wanta get better!"   :D   - good advice too.)

I enjoy this stuff too much.

You must continue to keep us updated!

Good luck. And it will be your most favorite bow no matter what the profile or performance may be. Nothing like an osage selfbow you have made yourself!!!

Yep, I love Osage too - even if it does try to push us around a bit along the way before it gives in -