The Hedge is here

[HedgeHunter]

coming right along now. Getting ready for a Stingray leather grip.

HH~

[MrCanister123]

Lucky man... Lots of osage-staves at home *.*

[HedgeHunter]

Entire barn full. It's hard work to make them ready and then care for them in barn storage. No one thinks about about storage and preparation when you buy a Osage stave. Thus,it is a big part of building a bow. Making a bow is only the end stage of the complete Bowyer!!! No one thinks of Hunting the wood in the forest, The cutting, splitting, hauling, debarking. Hard work and i find that the most fun. But you know how people are. . . . They like to play with shiny things in the sun.

HH~

[schnabelkanne]

Yes, I agree it is a lot of hard work, especially the splitting and debarking. I store my Osage Stave with the bark.
Greetings Thomas

[HedgeHunter]

Thomas: No bark. i learned over time its way easer to debark and take sapwood off Osage green. Then, take wood glue mixed with some water and seal the back where sapwood was. Just a better way to go. Now sapwood to deal with later and its easy to get in and chase rings rings when you get into building. Also, eliminates bugs and larva from eating up wood in barn over time.

Bow is about tiller complete. Right at 50@28" good tiller for funky stave. Had to make about 10-12 heat corrections to get it to get right. Turned out very nice will make a great bow to take in the forest with me. It''ll go with me next year into the Rocky Mountains and bear country.

HH~

[klausmann84]

I like the way the pattern on the hide resmbling the damage area above. Looks as if it was meant to be.

[schnabelkanne]

Yes it is very hard work to debark Osage when it is already dry, next time I know it better.
Very nice grip leather, it’s breathtaking.
Greetings Thomas

[Noodles]

I like it!!!

[HedgeHunter]

Thank You Kindly. Yes, went with chocolate color leather to match that dark old oxidized part of the stave. I purposely left that old color and did not scrape it off. leather is very hard to mold to a curvy handle but I got it best that could be done. Put a baseball sewing job on it with Kangaroo Lacing in chocolate color as well. Will put the finish on it, strike plate and shelf leather and its ready to shoot.

HH~

[HedgeHunter]

finished up between sitting in forest with a bow.

HH~

[schnabelkanne]

Hi, the colour of the back is very nice, what did you use, some kind of wood stain?
Greetings from Vienna
Thomas

[HedgeHunter]

Thank you . Rifle stock dye that I mixed colors.

HH~

[HedgeHunter]

The Hedge with his buddy Arvin Weaver the world champion selfbow flight champion with one of his new bows Nov 2021

HH~

[Haitha]

Also at Twin Oaks

[HedgeHunter]

Yep, good to see how and what great selfbow builders are doing now. This new one, he thinks, will set more records at the 50lb mark. It is a very thin line to get the most out of a selfbow and not over building it. Watching a master work is very insightful.