Need help selecting an Osage tree to cut a stave from...

[highpoint forge]

Where I mountain bike just East of Dallas, there are 15 miles of trails running through a nature preserve and there are Osage trees of all sizes all over the place. So during my morning workouts I'm dodging these trees lining the trails; pin oaks, cedar elms, cotton woods, etc. Of course, looking at all these Osage trees,  I am now trying to pick a tree to cut a stave from. We (the trail stewards of the off road bike assoc. I belong to) can trim trees legally as part of the biking trail maintenance of this nature preserve, and several of us regularly fix trails, move logs, bild obstacles, cut trees that have fallen, repair washouts, build and install small bridges across ravines and creeks, etc.

So just what am I looking for in an osage limb to cut a stave from? I figured it would be fun to walk in and cut one rather than buy a seasoned one, and start a selfbow next summer for bow season 2011-12.

[Jim Jackson]

Others will chime in, and I'm by no means an expert I've done this twice with decent luck.  8 inch would likely be a minimum diameter.  I was taught that if the bark is in an obvious spiral fashion around the tree then the grain will follow underneath.  The bark is like corduroy and just follow the ridges and valleys to see if they wrap around the tree or more or less stay straight.  If you can find a straight section that has good grain you're in luck.  

I found that it wasn't uncommon to have some heart damage or pithy sections so be careful and don't be surprised if you split it out and find surprises.  Osage is fickle.  The reward from cutting your own tree off of property that has meaning to you is very special.  Here is the story of my bow: Legacy Zipper Extreme

[Al Natural]

I wouldn't try a limb bow if it is your first self bow.  If you can cut down a mature tree, find one that you can handle.  A good log will give you four staves you can work on.  Make sure the tree is fairly straight. look at the twist of the bark and see if it straight or if it spirals around the the tree.

[sweeney3]

8"-10", as straight as possible as Osage is great wood, but a pain to work with.  Stay away from those with visible spiral in the bark as that is likely to indicate twisted grain.  Again, there are guys who can make it work, but they've already earned it by starting out with something easier most likely. Those are some of the outside indicators.  Once you get inside is when it really gets good.

Check out the growth ring thickness once you get it cut.  Thicker rings are easier to follow.  Also, there will be dark and light layers to each ring.  The light color is "early wood" and is dang near worthless.  It's actually awful, even though osage is excellent wood.  There needs to be a preponderance of dark, or "late wood" throughout.  It's really the collective late wood of osage that makes it such good bow wood.  I forget exactly where it was said, but it was mentioned, I think in one of the TBBs, that something like 5% of the total mass of osage alive is capable of producing a good bow.  That may be an exageration, but the point is made.  It's darn good wood, but darn tough to find some that will work and then darn tough to work with when you find it.

I was out earlier today kicking around my temporary home (temporary duty station) in southwest Oklahoma.  I found some osage, but it was sure short, twisted, and rough looking.  I think some of the mesquite around would be easier to work, and it would be tough.

Hop over to the primitive archer forum and ask some of those guys.  They are magicians over there.  Some of them really get into osage.  I have yet to get that crazy about it, for all those above reasons.

[highpoint forge]

Thanks!

[mrjsl]

Just out of curiosity, what is the biggest osage tree you self bowyers have ever seen?

Last year about this time we treed two coons up one that was massive. I will have to see if I can get a picture of it. It's on a place I hunt a lot along the MS river.

[Brian Krebs]

Let me tip my hat to highpoint forge for caring enough about the trees to figure out which one is best - and what not to take before its time etc.

 Thank you for caring.

Its called conservation in action. Credit is merited !!!

[ishoot4thrills]

Originally posted by mrjsl:
Just out of curiosity, what is the biggest osage tree you self bowyers have ever seen?
.......

The hardwood forest where I used to get beautiful, straight, osage logs, has a gigantic osage tree in the corner of the woods that is easily 4 to 5 feet in diameter!

[Eric Krewson]

The osage limbs I have tried to make a bow out of in the past were incredibly knotty and not worth fooling with.

[Stiks-n-Strings]

First thing I reccomend is reading Dean Torges' book Hunting the Osage Bow.

 great read and very informative.

[Pat B]

Anything over 2" in diameter will more than likely make a hunting weight bow!

[highpoint forge]

We had really big ones out at our farm and by our house where I grew up here in Dallas. Out at the nature preserve, there are some really big Osage trees in there, like 3' at least. Most of the reachable ones (i.e, not totally surrounded by Sumac Poison Oak or Ivy, and close to the trail) are about 12" though. There is a Cottonwood beside one of the two Expert trails there, which I passed on Friday. No kidding it must be 6' wide. It is so big I nearly crashed when doing a double take to see it again as I rode past. On 12" wide trail next to a drop off with a creek in the bottom of it, you gotta look straight ahead, or you and the bike will get banged up in a hurry. This Expert trail is all over and along a creek bottom with a steep ravine leading down to the the creek. A fall into that ravine would mess you up bad along 80% of this trail.