Originally posted by Osagetree:
Clint, I think summer cutting caused your issue's with the bark and whitewood shrinking and releasing, causing checks in the heartwood.
Cutting in the winter when sap is down is probably the best.
That was an awesome haul you had posted. It got me motivated to go out and cut some too.
How's the skinned backings holding up so far?
Thanks for the tip on summer cutting. I do not like cutting osage in summer for several reasons, but I had to on the one I lost. It fell over a small creekbed. A good summer thunderstorm could have washed it down the creek and off of my property.
I started on that big one in July becuase that is when I could get help with cutting it and pulling it out. That tree had fell several years ago. When we cut it, there wasn't a drop of sap come out of it, although it looked like it was fresh. There were a couple of tiny sucker limbs starting to grow on the top side of it so it was still somewhat living I guess. I haven't seen any drying checks on the backs of the staves. I have been checking each one while I'm putting a third coat of poly on the backs and storing them under my workbench on a rolling drying rack. Storage space is a big issue in my shop so thats another reason I like to peal them. There are some small checks on the ends from when we first cut it, but no new ones. I left the staves over 70" long so I have room to cut them down.
I'm glad to hear my post got you motivated to cut some osage. Your post has done the same for me. When I go looking for sheds in a few weeks, I'm going to be on the lookout for some second growth pieces with a little character.
Topic: Gathering & splitting Ohio osage (Read 1053 times)
