The flight 137.5- bow is made of 2 limbs, 1 handle, wedges. If the wood of choice has no good steam- bending capablities siyahs have to be v- spliced into the limbs.
It´s a must to prepare the limbs very carefully. I´m not to confident with that design yet, I´ll try some more limb- designs, a wider more reflexed one for a smoother draw.
I haven´t had options for to make the limbs of the osage flight wider, the only osage I could find in my workshop were almost as small as the ready limbs. Some leftovers of a recently finished asymmetrical osage- flatbow.
The limbs of the rowan- flight are made of a green rowan. I splitted a stave cut very close at our farm.




The handle is made of mountain maple, the 137.5- angle is sawn. A right angle of the handle back to its sides is a must, otherwise the bow could be twisted.
As mentioned above the limbs have to be prepared properly.

Just put the limbs on a pot of water, cover it with aluminum foil, heat the water till it begins to boil, leave it for about 40min. Steaming times depends on thickness of wood and the degree of curve or bend. Usually recurves have to be steamed for about 20min., there´ll be an article focused on steam- bending bows within the next weeks.

I left the limbs at least 2 days for “shaping”. The limbs of the osage flight 137.5 are recurved soon after the steam- bending, rowan is hardly to steam bent, so I´ve v- spliced the recurves into the limbs.

Again: after steam- bending the wood has to be fixed in a tool for to get its shape. I left recurves for an hour in the tool.
Next is to check again the dimensions of the limbs, they´ve to be equal in length, width and thickness and shape. Thickness should be at least 1/2″ now. The limbs have to fit properly to the back of the handle. Instead of cutting the ends of the limbs to a proper angle, I cut them in a right angle, for to get the space to fit in a wedge. No other need than a cool looking.

Sorry, this is a bad pic! I´ve chosen the dark- brown walnut as wedges, I´ve used a handsaw, a chisel and a wooden hammer for to adjust the wedges to the handle.

After the glueing the wedges are sanded down. There are for sure some more ways to fix the limbs to the handle. The limbs of the osage flight 137.5 were v- spliced into the handle, a somehow delicious job, but I like that kind of jobs.

Again a chisel- and handsaw- job!

To insert a double dovetailed wegde would have been another possible joint, I tried it, but found it to unstable.

For gourmets of wooden joinery, another one.

Next volume is dealing with tillering and heat- treating the limbs adjusting the string- bridges and recurves/ siyahs.
Yesterday I´ve shot the osage flight 137.5 at 22″ ,same 195grs. arrow:



Related articles
- The perfect bow Vol. 1- speed matters (redhawk55.wordpress.com)
- Making bows of Green Wood- Vol.3- the rowan bow is ready (redhawk55.wordpress.com)