Well...my my remaining Osage billets checked. What now?

[highpoint forge]

Osage Experts-

After all my initial efforts (well documented in threads here) the remaining, bug free Osage I have in two long billets have checked. I sprayed them both with generous coatings of Spar varnish on the ends and after bark and sapwood removal. I guess it wasn't enough.

The checks are about 2-3" long and kind of all over the exposed heartwood.

What should I do to save this stuff? Get a drawknife and get some rough staves hewn and bring them indoors?

   

   

[Eric Krewson]

Use 3 or 4 coats of shellac next time, nothing works better,

Don't know where you stored your green staves but attics are a no-no, enclosed out buildings are bad depending on the weather. Under a deck, unheated shop, under the house and definitely out of the sun works best.

The checks aren't fatal if they don't run off the limb. Fill them with super glue now so they don't expand. One of my oldest bows has 13 super glue filled checks in the back, they have never been a problem

[highpoint forge]

Just added pics above Eric.....plz help!

[Art B]

Sure would help to see some pics. Did you not seal the back of your billets with varnish also? How deep are the checks? Do you have your billets roughed out into bow form yet?   Art

[highpoint forge]

These are big 'ol heavy billets 6-8" thick. Stored in garage. The checking seems deep but I could measure. Ends and backs varnished. Where do you buy Superglue in bulk??????

[Art B]

That was quick!

Work your billets down to a single ring with a draw knife and seal the back real good. Trick is to dry osage slowely. You can rough your stave/bow out and completely seal all the way around and bring inside. Other than that I would leave outside where the humidity is high......Art

[Art B]

You need a smoother back surface. Sure you got all the sapwood off? Once you have the back cleaned up you can either seal the back with varnish or masking/painter tape. Even saran wrap will work. You want to prevent moisture from escaping for the wood's back.......Art

[Eric Krewson]

I don't think they will check like that if you have them to one ring or close to one ring. I doubt if the checks go down more than two rings. I would clean up the hatchet job, get a nice smooth back and slop the shellac on them.

Here are a few of my billets, stored under the house with a heavy coat of shellac. The ones you can see with sapwood on them only have the last ring of sapwood left. No checking on any of them, most were to one ring before I put then up to dry. The one with the black circles was attacked by powder post beetles, a few minutes with a propane torch cured that problem.

 

[highpoint forge]

I did use the hatchet! Literally a hachet job! My instinct was to get a draw knife and get them to a single ring then reseal as you suggest.

These are 6" thick and 8' long, I just measured, and checks are no more than .25" deep.

I will take them to the farm where the necessary woodworking tools are this week and store them in one of our haybarns or the shop. Humidity is pretty low in Dallas this time of year.

[TroutGuide]

It is hard to do without the right tools and setup.  I just spent two hours trying to get the sapwood off a 3 inch wide stave.  Hard to do with a drawknife and a lawn chair.  I am building a shaving horse or bench tomorrow.  

It is good to hear you are going to get something out of your staves.  I hope to get some more osage soon, if yours dont turn out I might have something for you.

[highpoint forge]

I'll keep everyone posted next week.....Brian let's stay in touch.

[TroutGuide]

I got another small log today but I am working on the mother load score if I can get a hold of a landowner.  Of course I have been shot down a couple of times lately.  It seems people would rather have a thorny old tree in there pasture than let someone have it for a reasonable price. I'll let you know if I get access and you can help haul logs.

[highpoint forge]

I'm in Dallas and my back is currently injured, but I can sure as hell try as long as there's enough Advil within a 5 mile radius.


Man this stuff really is checking......I gotta draw knife it and chase a ring so I can seal these things up and salvage them.

I know of a huge amount of Osage on public property if you really want to get after some close to town, where you'd have your pick. I have the remaining trunk to the same tree just around the corner from of my house.....you can see the edge of my original log on the ground where I found it....

   

[KyleAllen]

hey highpoint, i found the guy at first monday this weekend that sells some osage staves. I'm not sure what a good  price is on such. More of a glass bow kind of guy myself. I believe i saw one that said 80# for 100 bucks. I don't know how you figure 80#s as a stave but whatever. You might check out his booth next month. I bought some leather from him.

[bigcountry]

I take em down to one ring. or leave the bark on.  

I prefer to take em down.

[TroutGuide]

Well that has been my predicament so far.  I have cut some off public ground with a hand saw but there are so many good trees that are just too big for that and I dont realy like poaching the stuff.  I want to get permision from a landowner and go in and realy cut some of the good stuff.  I'm in Frisco so we are close I think?  Like I said I might need some help if and when  I get it lined up.  Hope your back gets better.  Don't try to drawnknife that stave if you don't have a good way to hold it or it will realy work your back.  I'm sore right now from the same thing,  but I got at least one realy good stave, maby more!!!

[highpoint forge]

I have 4-5 drawknives at my in-law's farm, a big truck etc. Here in Dallas I don't. I drive a small sports car and an SUV with a rack designed for luggage carriers and bikes, but I bet it would hold my two big billets if I tied them down tight.

My workbench in the garage is not solid enough for all that yanking. I live in Uptown.  I do more pounding on it than yanking with any tools.

I could help for sure and if we split some staves it'd be easy to get those home and store them for draw knifing later out at the farm.

Lemme know. Heavy lifting is problematic/painful, but not impossible. I can't wait for my back to be 100% again so I can get out on my mountainbike and start training again....I'm going nuts not exercising.

[highpoint forge]

Hopefully getting everything out to the farm Sat-Sun, with this Osage.