Osage Bow Building Lumber 5/8" x (68"-72") Review

I apologize that you received a piece of lumber like that. Please email pictures of the board to [email protected] and we will get it replaced for you.

I apologize that you received a piece of lumber like that. Please email pictures of the board to [email protected] and we will get it replaced for you.

I made my first bow out of this osage they sell and backed it with gordons bo-tuff fiberglass also on 3rivers site. probably 5-6 years ago now. do not use fiberglass mesh drywall tape. If this is the first bow your building get ready to become addicted. Good luck

If you are making a fiberglass bow I would not this product. This product is intended for making a backed self or maybe even composite bow. If you making a self bow one is a enough and as 3rivers suggest a backing of type should be used (hickory, bamboo).

I used a 5/8" piece of Osage laminated to a hickory with fiberglass between them. The bow turned out great. I hah a piece of mulberry that I used as the handhold. Looks and shoots great.

I would only recommend putting the snakeskin on a wood or bamboo backing on this lumber.

I would use your wood as backing and add a layer of the snake skin for the look you are looking for.

In my experience it wood offer a small measure of tension protection but a hickory, bamboo or rawhide backing would be preferable. Jon U Wisconsin

The artificial snake skin will NOT be sufficient to back one of these osage boards. These boards require a solid backing that will prevent splitting of the wood such as a thin hickory backing, or a bamboo backing. I do not believe any of the fabric or skin backings will render the osage board safe for making a finished bow. Matt

I would not recommend using rawhide for that application.

In my opinion rawhide isn't a good backing material, I would only use it for aesthetic purposes. I do recommend bamboo or fiberglass

We are still trying to get these back in stock. Unfortunately, I do not have an estimated date.

Yes you can back this with sinew.

yes it can be backed with sinew.

Yes...can be backed with sinew...but would recommend fiberglass or other wood backing such as bamboo John OwensMobile***.****   NOTICE: This email and any attachments are for the exclusive and confidential use of the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient, please do not read, distribute, or take action in reliance upon this message. If you have received this in error, please notify me immediately by return email and promptly delete this message and its attachments from your computer.

I suspect itwould probably crack underneath the sinew, if that's what you meant by signed. Maybe not. Ive used that botuff glass,  but boo or another bow wood that's reduced to one growth ring would work Sent from my iPhone

Yes, sinew is a good choice to back osage board bows, but also consider Bamboo as it is even better, in my opinion.    

This piece of Osage would do great within your bow, any backing will work. That would be builder preference and functional style. The piece is 5/8" thick so it would have to be tapered above and below the riser area. 

Yes it can be backed with sinew, however I think it best to back it with bamboo using a 2 part epoxy. 

I prefer Smooth On Epoxy.

I prefer to use smooth on epoxy.

Use a high quality epoxy such as smooth on. If you can't bake it on then use G-flex epoxy. I made a flat bow last year and have shot hundreds of arrows through it and it holds up great. Make sure to rough up the glueing surfaces. I used a dull hacksaw blade and lightly scraped both surfaces and you should have a problem. Also, make sure you make you handle long enough with decent length fades to insure you aren't getting any bend in the handle. Cheers and good luck  with your project! Take your time  Sent from my iPhone

If you look at the explanation of how to make a handle on this page http://poorfolkbows.com/ipe1.htm, it should explain how to do it properly. How to make a Bamboo Backed Ipe Bow - Poor Folk Bows poorfolkbows.com Greetings and felicitations. Today, March 14, 2006, we are going to make a bamboo-backed ipe bow. Isn't that exciting? But why ipe, you ask? Well, there's a few ...  

For me the key has been to make sure the board and riser are well prepared, cleaned, and etched before glue up/epoxy. Critical to clamp well and allow adequate set time before handling or working. John Owens***.****   NOTICE: This email and any attachments are for the exclusive and confidential use of the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient, please do not read, distribute, or take action in reliance upon this message. If you have received this in error, please notify me immediately by return email and promptly delete this message and its attachments from your computer.

I glued several handles to several osage board bows (with Titebond 3) and they are sticking there like hell. I had no problems with handles popping off so far...

Np, glue and clamp the handle on, you shouldn't have any problems with the handle coming off as long as your handle isn't a working handle. I've never had a handle pop off on me. Good luck, Gabe  

All you have to do is add it to your shopping cart, and at checkout it will tell you the total

If you are going to build a recurve for this lumber you will want to use the Hickory backing to back this with. You will need to steam both pieces into the shape that you want before gluing them together.