Seven year old Osage staves too old?

[razorsharptokill]

Have some roughed out and shellac sealed Osage staves that are seven years old.  Been stored in and unheated/uncooled shop. Too dry?

[Roy from Pa]

Oh heck ya, they are way too dry.

I'll just pay you for the shipping, give ya an extra 50 bucks and take them off your hands.

LOL..

They will be fine, go ahead and use them.

[razorsharptokill]

 

[BMorv]

Yeah what Roy said. 
Wood will reach an equilibrium with it's environment in a year or two.  See where you are in the chart. 

[Pat B]

The older, the better!   

[Roy from Pa]

The older, the better!

That's right, Pat

So you and I outta be pretty darn good:)

[Shredd]

I don't make that kind of bow but I would assume that it would compare  it to a fine scotch or whiskey...

[Forwardhandle]

I have some 25 yr old staves on the wall that some day I'm going to work with a friend of mine has some of the same batch that made some stellar bows ,osage takes a very long time to season I have a couple 5 yr old ruffed down staves that are hanging on the wall and they keep taking more reflex every year for the last 3 yrs ,I would have already worked them but Roy made me make these plastic bows 

[Roy from Pa]

LOL

[Pat B]

Roy, I think we're more like a couple of old lighter knots. But we can share a couple of fingers worth of that good old scotch or bourbon Shedd was talking about and a 7 year old osage stave can't. 

[scrub-buster]

Depending on where you live I bet that stave still has excess moisture to lose.  The humidity and moisture in the air outside will keep it from getting too dry.  I'm working on a stave that is 27 years old and was stored in the same conditions.  I roughed it out and brought it into my house to dry out a little more.  I might put it in my hot box for a few hours on my next day off. 

[razorsharptokill]

When I got into it I was surprised to see there was still a fair amount of moisture.

[soy]

I have made some from pieces that were fence posts in the 1930s