osage search and question

[Scott Beitzel]

here in western md osage trees are few and far between but i have found a couple here and there . but only the female variaty as they are the only ones that get the balls on the males do not have them ( kinda funny huh )
but the ones that i have found are about 6 inches on the trunk but only go up about 4-5 feet before they branch out .

my question is am i after the trunk wood or limb wood or does it not matter and what diameter should i be after i know the bigger the more staves i can get out of it . but would a 4 inch limb 6-7 ft long do me any justice or wshould i wait to find a bigger better speciman .

thanks for the info and sorry for the lame questions but i just gotta know .

Scott

[SEMO_HUNTER]

The questions aren't lame at all, it takes a bit of practice making bows out of osage to be able to see what makes the best bow. If you can get a small log out of a tree that's 6-7 foot long I'd give it a try, it just might surprise ya how fine of a bow it will make.

If you found a tree big enough that had larger limbs coming off in the 4-8 inch diameter range they will make a stave and a decent bow. I don't waste anything that is big enough to get a stave out of, even if I can only split it once. Waste not want not.
One thing I would watch out for is the rings, if they are very tiny with little separation and very tight it's gonna be frustrating chasing a ring on that if you've never done it. Some guys just can't do it, but others have no problems with tight rings. I've chased them all and prefer somewhere in between super tight and large rings, I call that medium rings with about 1/16th to 1/8th inch thickness of the ring with about 1/16th inch separation. That's nearly perfect that I've found for bow making. Don't waste any good straight wood though because you may decide to tackle it when your ring chasing and selfbow making skills get more proficient.

Good Luck!

[okie64]

Doesnt matter if its limbs or trunk as long as its big enough. I'd say a 4 inch limb would be big enough. Only thing is you're probably going to have to use some sapwood on a limb or trunk that size but some guys say the sapwood works fine, never tried the sapwood myself so I cant help you there.

[Bowjunkie]

I GREATLY prefer a straight 4' piece of trunk to virtually any limb wood. Try to cut pieces 6" or bigger.

Trunks spend their lives growing in a more nuetral state than limbs. Even if a limb appears 'straight', due to the natural forces of gravity, it grows resisting great tension on the top side, and great compression on the bottom which presents great challenges, often impossiblitites, to the bowyer. The transition wood to either side is even more unmanageable. It can be unpredictable, unruly and you may heat and bend it several times and still fight it throughout the construction process. Good bows 'can' be made from limb wood, but there's infinitely more junk in limbs than in trunks... even if only considering 'straight wood'.

As far as shorter trunk pieces, you can splice two 40" billets together at the handle and make awesome selfbows all day long that way. In fact, many folks prefer those to full length staves.

Don't rush to fill your garage with inferior bow wood(just because it's osage) like I did. Leave the limbs lay, or grow, and go find another nice short trunk piece. Often, when it comes to harvesting bow wood.... less is more.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

On the other hand, if you save that inferior wood till later you can back it with boo and it should be a mute point. JMO

[frank bullitt]

Scott, if you can cut some good limbs, go for it! Made alot of limb bows of different sizes. A good way to learn the wood.

Yes, all osage is not the same, ie good! But you won't have to kill a tree to try it.

[John Scifres]

If I had a choice of limb wood or no wood, I'd choose limb wood.

If I had a choice of trunk or limb, I'd choose trunk.

If I had a choice of 6" or 10" trunk, I'd choose 10".

I've had little luck with limbs.

I've had moderate luck with 6" trunks.

I've had great luck with 10" plus trunks.

[frank bullitt]

Yeah, but if your heart ain't into it, it won't work!  Oh, and bigger isn't always better  :D

[razorback]

If using a limb which side of the limb will make the better bow, top or bottom. Does one make a better backed bow than the other.