Osage

[mudSwine]

I have some Osage trees in my back yard.  If I was to find a straight limb and cut it. What would be the minnum diameter I could use?  
   Should I split the limb first then use something to keep it from drying and checking or do I just paint the ends and let dry and split just before starting a self bow ?
  Is there a good DVD I can buy that can show me what to due ?

   Thanks

[Pat B]

Anything over 2" will make a good bow. Small diameter stuff is tricky to work with. You should split it and seal the ends but also clamp the halves to a form to keep them from reflexing too far and to control twisting. If you remove the bark, seal the back also.

[mudSwine]

Thanks Pat B.
 Is there a DVD I can buy that will help me in building my first bow ?

  Thanks

[Jesse Peltan]

You can buy the book Hunting the Osage Bow by Dean Torges at 3 rivers. He might also have a DVD but I don't know.

[George Tsoukalas]

I once made a 50# bow from an osage sucker that was a little over an inch in diameter. it had about 5 inches of reflex. It also had some sapwood on the back and the belly which ended up chrysalling but that bow is still shooting and was always a quick shooter. You can't split the small ones.  Just hack away the belly wood. Anything under 3-4 inches is going to end up with sapwood somewhere which is not always a bad thing but the best scenario is all heartwood. If you have a choice f=go for th larger limbs. Have fun. Jawge

[Pat B]

I don't know of a book that explains building limb bows. There was an article in an older PA magazize called The Limbbow by Dane Snodgrass. The article is about Sonny Imans who made beautiful hunting weight bows with 2" osage shoots and limbs.
 In the "Build Along" section of PA website, Gordon builds a sapling bow with hazel but the principals are the same.