Mmmmm...Osage

[John Scifres]

From a recent trip to Illinois with Darren "Hackbow" Shue.

We cut the two little ones first because they were down in a hole but no pics of those as they were only 8-10"ers.  Nice straight wood though.

Here's the prize and...bonus...it was only 50 yards from the truck!

 

 

Now we gotta split the beast.

 

Nice rings.
 

Our haul, about 35 bows worth.

 

[Drew]

wow nice haul! Wish we had more in MI!

[bowhntineverythingnh03743]

Wow I wish that golden wood grew where I was. That is amazing find and what great rings she has

[snakewood3]

Great looking Osage !

[ron w]

What nice rings.......lucky you!!

[TimBoA]

Nice!  I have my eye on a big Osage tree and just need to find the time to get to it...I hope the rings look as good as these!

[talkingcabbage]

Ha! That's exactly how I feel after splitting osage!    
Actually, I think that's what finally convinced me to try glass bows. That osage is just too much work sometimes!

[Roy from Pa]

Very nice haul, John. Heck Darren could have carried that log out whole as big as he is...

[John Scifres]

Yes Roy, he could have in his younger days     He's pushin' 50 years old ya know.  He about puked carrying a couple of the little quarters out of the hole.  I thought I might have to drag him out.  Course I would have quartered him first.  I was kind enough to let him prove his manliness by only carrying one quarter at a time myself.  'Cause that's just the kind of guy I am  

[soy]

that is sexy  

[Dan Landis]

John, great find and good rings, can't beat that! How are you splitting your logs?  The osage that I have split I think have split very easily, but have only worked a few logs.  Maybe I've just been lucky.

[BCWV]

That's beautiful John! I would love to split on osage till I pass out just once. So far, I've just got lightheaded on hickory and black locust.

[John Scifres]

"How are you splitting your logs?"

Hmm, I think I remember someone saying, maybe Jim Hamm, beat on it 'til you pass out, wake up and then beat on it some more  

Here's how it's done:  http://sticknstring.webs.com/wood2009.htm

It's simple but never easy.

[Roy from Pa]

I hear ya, John. Darren is pretty much a big whimp.. I thumped him arm wrestling more than  once..

[rainman]

Hey you guys leave Darren alone, he can't help if he is from Illinois.

[Osagetree]

Knew I should not have looked... Now I am ashamed of myself.

[Bob at Work]

John,
great haul...are you bringing any of that to MoJam...?
Bob

[John Scifres]

Hey Bob,

I won't be at MOJam again.  I have to travel a lot in July for work plus I am taking a week's vacation with the family over the 4th  :(

[Bob at Work]

Hate to hear it John...I've missed the past 2 and thought #15 would be a good one for a reunion...Sal and John are coming for sure...we could all shoot the 3D at night again...  
Great osage find!
Bob

[Dan Landis]

John, been away for a few days.  I always start by following an existing crack that crosses the center of the log.  I open this up with an ax pounded in with a sledge, then start wedges in the side of the log and keep working them till it falls in half.  Sometimes will have to use a hatchet to cut through the stringy pieces that don't want to let go.  Once in half I decide how many splits will give me the best staves to miss knots and other problem areas.  I start the ax in the end again and follow the steps described to get it in half.  The laggest tree so far has been 15" at the stump end, most are smaller 6-8" stuff.  Maybe I've just been lucky with the few that I have done so far, but I didn't think it was very hard to split.