Is this osage stave large enough?

[TroyH]

Almost a year ago I cut a small osage tree, thinking it was large enough.  After splitting it in half, I have my doubts.  Do you think there is a bow in here, one of the 50# range?
   

[Eric Krewson]

There are two bows up to 200# in that piece of wood.

With osage you could make a bow as narrow as one inch and still get a 65# bow. One of my bows is 1 1/8th inch wide and pulls 62@25. It was once about 70# but I have dropped the poundage a bit as I got older.

[TroyH]

Looking at what I have here, what are your recommendations, width, etc?  
Also, do I need to try to work one of the outermost rings as possible?  Obviously, as you get further in the rings get nicer.

[DCM]

Is that the fat or skinny end, how long is it?  Most important is depth the center, where the handle will be.  But given all the tricks an experienced bowyer can bring to bear, including cutting a full length stave in half and then rejoining the fat ends, I'd say Eric is probably right.

I'd hit that first fat ring at about 4 7/8" mark on the right, perhaps the next one inside of it.

[Shaun]

What Dave and Eric said. You got wood and maybe two if there is enough meat near the middle of the stave for a handle (1 1/4 to 1 1/8" deep at the thickest part of the handle. Chase the first or second thick ring. Great early/late growth ratio.

[Tom Leemans]

Looks like 2 bows for sure, assuming the stave is clean from end to end. That's got good early/late ratio in it!