I cut some this winter ill work next year I have a thinner piece I might tinker with 4 the time being.Maclura Pomifera .
aka osage orange, aka hedgeapple, aka bois d'arc.
do you see where I'm going with this?
Time to jump in!
- Thread starter md1
- Start date
you can (should) start working on green wood immediately if you are able. whenever I cut osage for bows the first thing I do is rough out all of the staves into bow blanks while they are as green as possible. osage is easier to knife while green as compared to dried. eliminating all of that waste allows the wood to dry more quickly and evenly, allows you to make corrections, reflex or recurve a stave more safely. this notion that you have to air dry osage for years is incorrect. yes, you can, but you dang sure don't need to. see my thread "been busy in the shop". I covered the treatment of freshly cut osage pretty well.
and if you do it right, you may be able to get it dried and tillered before hunting season. three months is more than enough time if you can force dry the wood after several weeks of air drying. there is much virtue in force-drying selfbow wood. you have to do it to get the MC down below 10 %. air dried wood in Ohio will not go much below 15% MC, ever. that is about 50% more moisture than you want in osage staves.
and if you do it right, you may be able to get it dried and tillered before hunting season. three months is more than enough time if you can force dry the wood after several weeks of air drying. there is much virtue in force-drying selfbow wood. you have to do it to get the MC down below 10 %. air dried wood in Ohio will not go much below 15% MC, ever. that is about 50% more moisture than you want in osage staves.
Thanks 4 the advise......again☺. they've been cut and split and painted ends since the end january early march I beileve. I still have a piece of locust I'd like to try and chase a ring for the first time so I don't dick up a 1st attempt at osage....
have a picture of the tree, Giles?
I understand why noobs are afraid to touch their osage stave before they feel confident enough. been there, done that. I'm here to tell you that is wrongheaded. Osage is so much tougher than any other commonly used woods that your odds of failure are small. Osage, even marginal osage, is more tolerant of tillering mistakes than the finest hickory you can find. if you are still trying to get comfortable with the tools and the process, I get it. don't be afraid to put them to work on your osage. you will probably surprise yourself. I attempted exactly three white wood bows before I said "fuck this shit" and got myself some osage to work with. two of them didn't make it...
I understand why noobs are afraid to touch their osage stave before they feel confident enough. been there, done that. I'm here to tell you that is wrongheaded. Osage is so much tougher than any other commonly used woods that your odds of failure are small. Osage, even marginal osage, is more tolerant of tillering mistakes than the finest hickory you can find. if you are still trying to get comfortable with the tools and the process, I get it. don't be afraid to put them to work on your osage. you will probably surprise yourself. I attempted exactly three white wood bows before I said "fuck this shit" and got myself some osage to work with. two of them didn't make it...
Sweet
Good luck
I am 100% sure that you will get nothing but great advice from Jamie
I have worked with him and shot his bows he is a true craftsman
An artist that can make wood bend
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Good luck
I am 100% sure that you will get nothing but great advice from Jamie
I have worked with him and shot his bows he is a true craftsman
An artist that can make wood bend
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
He’s one of those guys that doesn’t say much, but when he does...you best listen.
1st attempt at osage.....the stave(I almost chucked it onto the wood pile after cutting) was to narrow for a handle or anything for that matter after attempting to chase a ring. So it should have been reject but
my 5yr old will enjoy it.
if you have enough thickness, sure, dig as far as you need to for the ring you want. I make getting the best ring a priority. you can glue on a piece of wood to fill out the handle if you don't have enough thickness. It's a common practice. is a little more work, but you gotta dance with the one you brung, right?
I outfitted half the neighborhood kids with bows I screwed up when I first started. most of those were adult size bows that came in under weight because I make a mistake, or several mistakes while tillering. lots of tillering problems can be corrected to produce a successful bow, but the price for making the mistake is loosing draw weight from stock removal. all part of the learning curve.
I outfitted half the neighborhood kids with bows I screwed up when I first started. most of those were adult size bows that came in under weight because I make a mistake, or several mistakes while tillering. lots of tillering problems can be corrected to produce a successful bow, but the price for making the mistake is loosing draw weight from stock removal. all part of the learning curve.
https://www.ostatradarchers.com/osta-shoot-schedule
I’m an outsider but I would start by going to one of these events. That’s my plan anyways if I ever take the plunge.
I’m an outsider but I would start by going to one of these events. That’s my plan anyways if I ever take the plunge.
you need a scale. a digital luggage scale that will weigh up to 70lbs or so will work nicely and is only around $10. never pull a bow in progress beyond the target finished draw weight. it invites unwanted excessive compression of the wood fibers on the belly of the bow, causing unnecessary set, i.e., robbing the bow of cast.
Holy hell. Major eye opener. My maple sapling I first made pulls at 37lbs. I've pulled this osage down to nearly brace height it was at 45lbs (big eye opener). How many pounds does it generally take to string a 40-50lb bow to brace height?