7 Foot 4x4 Osage log - What next

[RomeoWhiskey]

Through a stroke of luck I acquired a 7 foot long 4x4 Osage Orange log, straight grained and no knots. Bark and sapwood still on.  It was harvested by an old school bowyer who gave it to a friend of mine who indicated he wanted to make a bow...then lost interest.  So now it's mine.  I have experience making lots backed bows over the last 3 years (hickory and bamboo backed hickory and ipe mostly), but my efforts in the self bow realm have always been hindered by my wood finding limitations.

By all indications this is some prime Osage but
1)  I'm not sure how old it is (may be less than 2 weeks cut, may be old..no clue)
2)  I'm not sure how to proceed --- split it, band saw it, strip the bark and sap wood, leave it on...
3)  I don't want to mess it up...it's beautiful.

Can any of you sage and experienced bowyers provide some insight on what my next best step might be?  I can post pics if it would be helpful.

Thanks a Million!
RW

[scrub-buster]

pics would be very helpful

[RomeoWhiskey]

 
 
 

Here you go  

[RomeoWhiskey]

Moisture content is 18%...found my meter.

[michaelschwister]

Very nice. Because it was ripped with a chainsaw it is hard to tell where the grain runs. If it had been split I would split it a second time.  I think it is certainly safe to take it down to one latewood ring.  Then rough out to bow form, leaving limbs about 5/8" deep.  Do you have a bandsaw?

[RomeoWhiskey]

Sure do

[fujimo]

i would take it down to the first decent heartwood ring, then you can see how the grain is aligned, and make a decision whether to split it and get two staves, or to cut it and get two backed type bows, and then you can make decisions  about belly splits.
best case scenario: 4 self bows(prbably bend thru the handle bows
worst case scenario; one backed bow, and a pile of slats, lams, knife handles, bow handles, deer calls, bludgeoning sticks, chopsticks  and a little kindling

[scrub-buster]

When you remove the bark and sapwood make sure you seal the back with something like shellac or poly.  I would try to get a belly split off of it.  I hope the grain is straight.

[John Scifres]

Play it safe.  Make one bow out of that stave.  It's been cut for a little while at least but just recently ripped.  The ratio of early to late wood is not great, about 1:1.  Make the bow a little longer and wider.  You might even consider a rawhide backing.  Cut a couple inches from each end to get rid of those checks. Have fun.

[J.F. Miller]

given your uncertainty about when it was cut, how it was growing, etc., I would not put alot of effort into retrieving a selfbow stave from that piece. as John pointed out, early/latewood ratio is poor, which would make me want to spend even less effort to get a selfbow out of it. that chunk has "board stock" written all over it, and could easily produce 10 nice slats, maybe a couple more if you can employ bandsaw for resawing.

if you must go for a selfbow, I would agree with previous posters that you should start by taking it down to a latewoood ring so you can see what the grain is doing. I'd consider it a stroke of good fortune if the grain is as straight as the chainsaw cuts. that's not likely, but if it is, you could get more than one stave out of it. otherwise, best to get one good stave out it. I would definitely back a selfbow made from that piece even after doing my best to chase one ring for the back. silk or rawhide would be best as prophylactic measure against tension failure.

what part of Ohio are you from?

[RomeoWhiskey]

Thanks for all your input.  I'm a bit dissapointed but on the brightside I do expect I can get some very nice slats out of it and I'm sure some nice backed bows will eventually be the result.

I'm down in the SE corner near Athens.

Thanks again gents, much appreciated.

[Osagetree]

Please leave all the Ohio Osage to me!  

[Crooked Stic]

You need to send it to me. Looks like good riser wood.  

[PEARL DRUMS]

Id clean the back up before I pass any judgement on its worth. Early/late ratio has never concerned me, not saying it doesnt hold merit to some. That could easily make an excellent self bow or two.