I just checked a cut out to shape stave of Osage that I received from a friend, Ken Barnett, who passed away last year, and found that the checking got the better of it. A mean nasty check in the handle that ends on the side of the handle and runs about five inches down through the fadeout and out to the back of the stave. The other end has a check in the tip area that pretty much sealed the deal for this stave. It was going to be my first try at a selfbow and was hoping to have one with lots of MOJO!
Now I'm on the prowl for some Bodark to harvest on my own or a billet that needs some tender loving care.