Making a Longbow: Osage Orange
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- I’m really excited to be building a longbow from Osage Orange in this video. This will be the first time I’ve completed a bow on video and it’s fun to break these type of projects down for you. Although it was a challenge, it was definitely worth the trouble.
This type of long bow, which is actually a flatbow, because of the flat, rectangular shaped limbs, being made from one continuous piece of wood from tip to tip, is called a selfbow.
I’ll walk you through the steps of picking out a stave, chasing a growth ring, laying out the measurements of your bow, to finally tillering it to your final draw weight.
Thank you all for watching and I hope you are inspired to start, or continue, your own bow making adventure.
Here is the link to The Homestead Craftsman's draw horse video, where I took inspiration when building my draw horse.
• Shaving Horse Design -...
To those of you who feel like you got something special from our videos and want to know how you can supports us further, we have just launched our Patreon page here... / theartofcraftsmanship
one of the best "coffee hours"' Ive spent in a long while. Thanks SO much for sharing this, keep on keeping traditions alive
Haha thanks Donnie. Hope you have a few more with us.
Osage is my FAVORITE wood!!!
I've made a few ( Osage) bows myself, and will be making a few more this fall....this video brings back alot of memories.....thank you....
What wood,please ?
I appreciate how the video keeps it honest by showing the painstaking effort that went into this bow. By giving great patience and being soft spoken, I have learned many things. Thank you for sharing.
Osage Orange is the most unforgiving wood in the world . One can spend hours and hours working on a stave which looks promising ... only to start seeing "whorls" in the grain .
You got my respect and my first primitive Osage bow was made with stone tools . ATB
SAR TRACKING ...we call it hedge wood here in Kansas and you are spot on. The only wood that is easier to drill and tap than to nail. The older it gets the harder it gets. The Osage Indians of this area made their bows and even arrow shafts from this frustrating wood. This lends me to believe they had to have had at least a few cuss words in their vocabulary.
Lee Barnhart - I have a home in New Mexico and a home not far from Wichita . I grew up in southern Missouri where hedge wood is known as... and pronounced "Bow Dark" . The original spelling is French and spelled BoisD'ark . Pronounced bweh dare..k . It means "wood for bows" in the French language and was coined by early French explorers .
There is a town in Missouri named Bois D'ark . Good luck asking for directions from the locals if you do not pronounce the towns name Bow Dark .
I have made 6 primitive Plains flat bows from hedge wood - hedge apple - "bow dark" . A couple looked fantastic until you hear and feel that faint "crack" at full draw on the 10th shot . The same feeling like that letter telling you your property taxes just went up again .
All the best Lee and Thanks for your comments .
SAR TRACKING ...From one flat lander to another-- Thank You!
THE BEST self bow tutorial EVER!!!
Thank you.
I will remember the dry bending technique you demonstrated. Great vid. Beautiful longbow.
thank you! greetings from Greece!
I did not intend to spend 48 minutes watching this, but one second took the next x) Great video
Beautiful...can not understand why anyone would dislike this video...
So far in my opinion this is the best bow making video, really enjoyed watching it. :)
I made an Osage walking stick (cane) and I recognize those tiny knots... They were "THORNS". Each 'knot' produced two thorns, making my cane look like little "faces" all over it. (: ) (: ) (: ) My cane is made from a sapling, so the "faces" are smaller.
the time lapse of the "un-bending" was a nice touch. instructive. interesting to see it progress.
Cool Longbow, very nice. The idea with the carving or engraving of the Tips, i dont no the right word be cause i am from Germany, is also cool. I habe never Seen bevor. Good Job, well done.
I see 188 downvotes. Who would downvote this video, seriosly. Is fun to watch , the cinematografy is very good, the guy is likeble and explains well the art. Seriosly wtf is with people
Why Not
Those who downvoted are possessed with “envy.” The Romans called it the “evil eye”. You see it more often in videos where humans are demonstrating skills of self sufficiency.
@@MrMoonFlame I would suggest they are possessed.
We live in a World now where no one does/ wants to do the work themselves. If it takes time to do, they want it "Now" and not later. Many schools don't even have an Industrial Arts class anymore. I build one of these bows about 8 years ago from a stave that was provided for me. It still took me about 10 hours over two days to complete. But, I had fun doing it and I still shoot and hunt with the bow. It came out pulling around 87# after the 8-10 coats of tongue oil I put on it to preserve it.
I’m almost 50. I rode my bicycle an hour each way to the local library to check out a book to learn something like this.
I learned just enough to want to make another ride. On another day. After all the chores and whatnot.
With the advent of the internet a glut of information is at anyone who query’s fingertips.
It may not seem like it if you are young but I assure you time is precious.
Any downvotes are time wasting fodder.
Watch. Learn. Help. Move. Create.
Any asshole can knock down a sand castle and tell you it’s wrong.
Few know the recipe and willing to do the work.
@@sgt.guardsman2221 agree with you. if it takes to long and actually requires skill they dont want to hear it.
Excellent instruction.
Thanks SN!
An English Longbow had a draw wieght of about 110 ibs omg , love to see you make one
Fantastic channel
Regards from England
zut alors!
im also from england lmao
Even tho this is more of a flatbow and not really a longbow (Also, not every english longbow had exactely 110 pounds of draw weight, many were much higher, many lower)
Thanks for the excellent video!
This is absolutely beautiful craftsmanship and filmography.
I totally enjoyed your video. Such dedication and excellent craftsmanship. Everything is so authentic, I feel like I am 10 years old reading an old Robin Hood book! Keep the videos coming.
haha thanks Shane! We will keep them coming.
So cool! Totally jealous of your bow making skills!
ye and not only for that, even more jealous at the way he s living there in the countryside,, wonderful
Great bowmaking skill and very good at passing on your knowledge through this video. I have also made an osage orange flatbow 5 years ago (with the guidance of a German bowyer friend of mine). It is a pleasure to shoot and such a pretty thing to look at! I think I'm about due for another one. :-)
always planned to build a bow.. ive had my wood stored seasoning for years. Then i developed severe arthritis in my hands. So watching you helps to relieve my frustration. Brilliantly crafted, thank you for posting.
I have arthritis in my hands too. I began to take magnesium two years ago and it stopped. I understand you very well because i like shooting with my bows and also making bows from wood. Good luck Keith!
Smoke weed it will go then you can make your bow
@@nickibradbeer2815 Smoked weed years ago for my depression, it is an excellent medication. seriously thinking about the herb to get some pain free days and making that bow.
Those pin knots really show in closing clip but still very nice work and result. I think I'm going to an Osage woodpile I know of
Super interesting, had never seen that hot oil timber bending before.
Me either but, I'll sure say that's a superb trick to bend wood aggressively and true awesome video!
Nem eu! Achei um truque incrível! What s the oil that he have used?
this felt like true science fiction. Totally doing this from now
What kind of oil???
Nice job...thanks
This was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. It was a joy to watch you make this. I'm looking forward to seeing many more such projects from you. Loving all of your videos. And by the way , you have the perfect soothing voice to go along with these projects. Kudos to you.
Thanks so much for yours tutorials every thing it is well done i had lear a few tricks from you in different areas and i have to thank you for that. Good job dustin
So much skill, hardwork and patience required. Great job!
Nice work. Great looking bow :)
nice vid However how many people that see this video have all those cool tools.. and dont have the funds to get them ...so keep it simple...(HAND TOOLS)...THANKS I LIKED IT...
Impressive!
Osage Orange was the bow wood of choice by woodland Indians wherever available. The man knows his wood, his tools, and has an experienced eye, feel and a smart mind to get the result. This is craftsmanship, and a pleasure to watch, listen, learn. I have no such skills but do appreciate fine, patient work well done.
There's absolutely no Osage in India.
@@JustAnotherAlchemist:
I quote from One Vast Winter Count: The Native American West before Lewis and Clark (ISBN 978-0-8032-6465-6) by Colin G. Calloway, 2003 University of Nebraska Press, A Note on Terminology (p.xvii): I have used the terms Indian and Native American interchangeably.
This book is regarded as a "monumental history" and the author's authority is well established. Now considering these bona fides don't you find your comment petty in the extreme?
But, yes, the tree Osage Orange is not indigenous to the Indian subcontinent.
That is amazing!!! I'm blown away!
you should find a protectant that keeps the UV rays off the wood, so it stays that pretty color and doesn't go brown.
Common Name(s): Osage Orange, Horse Apple, Hedge Apple, Bois d’arc
Scientific Name: Maclura pomifera
Distribution: South-central United States
Tree Size: 50-60 ft (15-18 m) tall, 1-2 ft (.3-.6 m) trunk diameter
Average Dried Weight: 54 lbs/ft3 (855 kg/m3)
Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .76, .86
Janka Hardness: 2,620 lbf (11,640 N)
Modulus of Rupture: 18,650 lbf/in2 (128.6 MPa)
Elastic Modulus: 1,689,000 lbf/in2 (11.64 GPa)
Crushing Strength: 9,380 lbf/in2 (64.7 MPa)*
*Estimated crushing strength from data of green wood at: 5,810 lbf/in2 (40.1 MPa)
Shrinkage: Radial: 3.8%, Tangential: 5.6%, Volumetric: 9.2%, T/R Ratio: 1.5
Color/Appearance: Heartwood is golden to bright yellow, which inevitably ages to a darker medium brown with time: primarily due to exposure to ultraviolet light. See the article Preventing Color Changes in Exotic Woods for more details.
Grain/Texture: Grain is straight, with a fine to medium texture. High natural luster.
Endgrain: Ring-porous; large to very large earlywood pores 2-3 pores wide, small latewood pores in clusters and tangential bands; tyloses extremely abundant; growth rings distinct; narrow to medium rays visible without lens, spacing normal; parenchyma vasicentric, lozenge, and confluent.
Rot Resistance: Osage Orange is extremely durable and is considered to be one of the most decay resistant woods in North America.
Workability: Working this Osage Orange can be difficult due to its hardness and density, though it is reported to have little dulling effect on cutting edges. It turns well, and also takes stains, glues and finishes well.
Odor: No characteristic odor.
Allergies/Toxicity: Sap has been reported to cause dermatitis. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.
Pricing/Availability: Having typically small, crooked, and knotty trunks, Osage Orange isn’t usually harvested for lumber, but can occasionally be found for sale in either board or small turning block form. Due to its domesticity and adequate supply, the price should be moderate, though likely to be higher than most other native lumbers on account of its “specialty” status.
Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Common Uses: Fence posts, dye, archery bows, musical instruments, turnings, and other small specialty wood items.
Another great insight into the world of a craftsman. Great video and thank you for sharing your talent, awesome!🇦🇺
If you wanna make this bow out of a different kind of wood, make sure you research the wood as some species you want to keep the sap wood as the back as it has higher flexibility further reducing the chance of lifting and cracking
Use hickory... i`m not sure about how it call in english... it makes drumsticks and baseball bats... it`s pretty amazing to make any bows
Hickory can be difficult to work with especially if you only have hand tools
@@jakubsitkiewicz8418 will pecan work?
@@jakubsitkiewicz8418 it is called hickory Its also really good for axe handles
Very well done! My Dad used to make bows from Osage Orange...in Texas we also call it Iron Wood. I still have one of them but it's not as pretty as yours. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching Tex!
Making a selfbow was the most rewarding and frustrating thing I've ever done.
Amen to that lol
I ENJOYED YOUR BOW BUILDING i I would fix the entrance to your shop so you have enough head room but thats me i am a mason and build lots of steps
Dude, you just need 3 sticks, 3 strings and a Crafting Table
Loved watching this process. I want to make a bow for my son soon, and videos like this really help me plan it out. I did want to suggest something I have seen other bowyers doing on their tillering trees. Some of them I have seen use a pulley on the tree near the bottom and run a rope through it with a hook on the end that goes to the string. Then the other end they tie a handle to and have enough rope to step back and look at their bows. Maybe you have already thought about doing something like that, but I wanted to bring it up because it might make future builds easier.
Thank you for showing that heat bending technique, I scoured the internet for references to it and found it nowhere else. Not on Wikipedia, forum references were dead links, etc.
Also used very frequently in piano and organ maintenance.
@@ryankennedy3109 I saw it in some other video regarding wood crafting (it wasn't about bows, though)
Super interesting, had never seen that hot oil timber bending before.
Wow, really enjoyed watching you make the long bow. The 48 mins went by in a flash. Wonderful craftmanship. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you. Cheers!
It's awesome how a man with only his intelect and his hands can turn a piece of wood into an all functional weapon. Thank you for sharing!
RENOVATION UPDATE!! (and yes, I'm rockin' sweatpants and work boots...don't hate! 😜).
I've got a crew here this week fixing up the penthouse room. If you follow me on IG, you'll know I started trying to do the siding and windows myself back in August, but quickly realized that the framing was rotted and it basically needed to be rebuilt...so that was put on hold. Now winter is coming up and I'm knee deep in some other projects for the building (more on those soon 😉), so it was time to call in some help and get things moving in parallel.
And now, we've got some progress....the old "windows" are out. (I use quotes because they werent proper windows....just pieces of glass siliconed to the frame, which leaked like crazy). New windows going in shortly. I'm filming bits of this so I can share the transformation in an upcoming vid.
If you want a SNEAK PEAK of it, then head over to my TH-cam stories for a behind the scenes look. Hope everyone out there is doing well! I'll catch you in two new vids coming later this month!
thanks for teaching me this.
The bending technique with the oil is a nice technique, I don't think I have seen that exact technique before.
Good jobs My Dear Brother 💪💪💪 And Godbless To Your whole life
Cannot imagine how they produced so many back in the days of Henry V. Must have taken months of prep.
Rough work is done by apprentices probably.
I was thinking something similar. Gives one appreciation for the crafts of years ago. You were born to do one thing, because to do something like this well, it takes nearly a lifetime probably. I wonder hey
Love to your video and your craftsmanship. Well done 👍👍
You need to watch clay Hayes videos too.
I love his videos!
Really enjoyed watching whole video. Good luck in your craft.
very nice
you do have a passion for your work! way to go and, just love the way you work
Wonderful. Thank you.
I made knives for a long time, lost my passion for it, for a while, you my friend, and your videos, sparked my interest into the knife making world again, thank you, subscriber for life.
You're a God! I made a few self bows back in the day, I wish I would have thought of this oil-and-heat gun-with-a-set-weight technique! My bows were only as good as the stave was.... eventually I gave into the PVC craze, which isn't bad, in the sense that it is still a way for people to make a good working bow, with probably less than a tenth of the effort involved in making a good stave bow. Maybe if I feel energetic one day, I'll try this on some dog wood :D Definitely saving this vid on my hard drive, for when the zombies come. Edit : OK, never mind my original comment! You're even better than I thought, and I was already impressed! I don't know what to even say at this point!
piece of art youve created there.. i am carpenter and building a bow is on my to do list of projects too :)
i love it mate great job with taking layer off rely art Brawo!!!
Great vid!!! This is the best realistic bow making vid on youtube. Thanks for sharing!!
Awesome video! Ever try a crooked knife? Sort of half drawknife/half scorp type of thing. I've read that was the tool used by Native American bowyers and I've always been curious to see one in action.
Looks like a great bow, but very different from the traditional English longbow's that I am used to seeing. Is it more of a Native American design bow opposed to a English or European bow? The bow limbs on your bow look very flat and wide where as a traditional English longbow the limbs are more narrow and rounded. Great video, you have a new Sub.
In the video description, he mentions that this particular type of bow is called a selfbow.
Beautiful!
Great video learned a lot, including the oil and heat method. Also, I think it is great that you have father-daughter time.
A very interesting and informative video 👌
This technique is very old. My father learned this way of making a longbow 70 years ago and it was old then. BUT it's the only way to do it.
Great video. That is a vantastic bow. I have made a few bows myself from Osage orange, we call it hedge trees around here. I also subscribed to your channel. Thanks and God bless.
Thank you James!
A beautiful bow, and your craftsmanship is a delight to watch. Thank you!
I didn't know this was going to be an asmr video.
Have a good sleep.
Where I am it is called hedge, very common here makes good firewood if your stove or fireplace can take the heat.
Beautiful now..I never got the hang of instinctive aiming..
Maybe turn your tree 45'.get a square look at it ...just sayin .i love your work ..i got too old to pull my orange bow back.i remember getting it made.back in 65. Aluminium arrows just came out. I make my out of ash these days .no drop shootin straight down.lol great vid my friend
Its not called a handle it is known as the grip, and really applying heat at this early stage is asking for trouble later on in the bows life.
It should be noted that many bows were actually handed down in a family as a bow was a special item in its day, having a bag tomkeep it in to protect it from the weather along with arrows , it was a known fact that a bow would shot low if used in the rain purely because the heat geneated wax quickly taken away by the rain, plus arrows when wet gained weight.
Fantastic! I made my first bow about 9 years ago. I sure wish you had produced this back then. Anyone considering making a bow, do not underestimate how long the tillering process can be. If you rush tillering, you will destroy the bow. Nice job!
Great video, very informative ad a very nice result from all your work. Thanks for sharing..
I made a baseball bat out of Osage Orange on my wood lathe many years ago. Beautiful, and very strong wood. Nice job on the bow.
excelente trabajo, y fantastica actidud
It was really cool seeing how the bow bends properly at around 35th minute. Nicely done.
Beautiful work love the videos wish I had your skill .I might be able to afford one of your boss someday :-)
How random is TH-cam? I was drawn to watching some videos by JoergSprave and then to suggestions on comparisons between Long Bows and Cross Bows. Having watched many a film where both were used it was fascinating and that brought me here. It's not something I would've chosen to watch, but it's been really interesting and so good to see that these arts are being kept alive..
Who knows, come the end of fossil fuels etc. we may have to revert to using them again! 😉
i need to try and make a bow some time
A great build. I’m a long term bearbow archer. A quick suggestion for you is on raise your nick point. As you see the arrow was flying point up. The other thing is aiming. If you draw your bow back an place your middle finger in the corner of your mouth you get a consistent draw length as well as a repeating sight picture. This will help shrink your groups. God bless and great work.
well one of those if not the only one videos you watch like the real movie and minutes later you realising the whole hour just gone and in the whole process you forgot your eggs are boiling and your cat is freezing outside...so after all this i just want to own one of your bows for sure
Wow, no wonder hand crafted bows are so expensive, that is A LOT of work. Awesome bow.
yeah, his draw knife is dull. It doesn't need to be
thought the dog was a hog for a sec... lol 44:45
Killer video! Always great to see you work around the difficult spots in your projects. Talent , knowledge, and fortitude. Awesome!
Congrats on 25K!
Loved the video. Just a small thing, your audio setup makes the sandpaper sound very unpleasant, would be great if you could do something post-production to trim some of the treble
Thanks for the comment and the feed back. We will look into it.
Awesome video,..............He draws the bow and shows the actual lay out of the bow.
He shows you how to get the waste wood off down to your bow's back.
He explains that all woods have character and you must work around it.
All bowyers have a style of their own and different process's.
I start with green wood,..... depending on species.
If the wood don't check/ crack I take it from bow blank to stave,....but I never bend a bow till the wood has dried.
I use a angle grinder and a sanding disc with rubber backing.
I use a draw knife and a spoke shave.
I totally shape the bow with an 80 or bigger grit sanding disc and turn the wood to dust in about 20 minutes it go's from bow blank to stave.
I get by,........but this guys band saw make's it look so easy.
But I use vegetable shortening and a heat gun to bend wood,..... because it work's great.
This is excellent you-tube content,... bowyers college.
As i recal bowyer Tatanaka Wangila favoured osage orange as well.
Awesome bow I love Osage orange it looks so gorgeous when it's done absolutely beautiful job thanks for sharing the video
Great video very informative, have you done an arrow making video?
Not yet.
I have a farm that's loaded with Osage Orange trees, and I cut some logs (large limbs) for a friend's brother-in-law that makes bows. He's supposed to make me one, since he's got enough wood to make far more than he'll ever build. After watching your video, I think I'll give that a try one of these days. (don't hold your breath though...ha!) Great video and great bow!
Thats a cool draw knife horse do you have a video on how to make one of those.
As you were working the draw table, i was thinking to myself how much ungodly itchy saw dust you must have in your shoes, and think to myself, I'd be smart and wear sandals.... low and behold your miles ahead of me lol
Let the Grey Geese Fly!
How on earth are you soo good and knowledgeable about such an old art form like this? You are a black belt craftsman and I would think one would have to be an old man to acquire this skill hahah. You were put on this planet do be a insanely great craftsman!
It's very nice,very good mr Robin Hood
Thanks for the waffles. When you said that, instant craving. Lucky I have a gal that understands, and likes to spoil me.
Great video. Turned out beautiful. Now I gotta find that Flemish string video.
Oh, there it is. Next in play list.
What the... GLOVES! But seriously. I love the colour of OA. Up where I live we have buckthorn which is a nice orange wood as well. Trouble is buckthorn is never long straight stems. You're lucky to get a nice piece a few feet long. It is good for spoons and small projects.
The oiling of the bow tho... so.... satisfying to watch...