Young Osage Question

[buckeyebowhunter]

I have aquired some realy young pieces of osage orange, they are about Five and a half feet in length and about 2 to 2 and a half inches in diameter and I was wondering if I could use these to make some low poundage bows for my sisters, if so how heavy could they go, if not they,re good kindling wood for this winter. Thanks guys

[George Tsoukalas]

Sure. Why not? Do you think they are too narrow for all heartwood? if yes, I've black locust and an osage bow with a sapwood back. Just get a sapwood ring as close to the heartwood as possible. My osage bow from an osage sucker came in at 49# at 26 in. Jawge

[buckeyebowhunter]

George do you think they,re too short one is about Five foot and the other about five and a half. Are they too short or would they be ok to make a descent bow?

[tippit]

That osage sucker bow of Georges is a great shooting bow.  It looks like a kids bows but shoots a heavy arrow real well...Doc

[Pat B]

How old are the staves(growth rings) and what is the ratio of heartwood and sapwood?
I built an osage bow not long ago that has 50/50 sapwood/heartwood, it is 60" long, 1 3/8" wide at the fades and pulls 57#@26".
 The late Sonny Iman built limbows from 2" osage poles that were hunting weight bows. He just split them down the middle and used each half for a bow.
  Pat