Cutting Osage

[bucknut]

I have read a good bit on Osage and most recommend cutting in the summer.  What is the biggest advantage to cutting in the summer or not cutting in the winter?  Harder to dry because of sap rise?  I have located a big beautiful straight tree calling my name and the wait is killing me.  I have cut several but always cut in the summer.  What are your thoughts?

[Forwardhandle]

I have never cut osage in the summer I have always cut in the winter I dont think it matters but I will say this I have never had any issues with bugs winter cutting & its easier to haul out !

[Pat B]

You can cut bow wood any time it is available. I prefer cutting wood, either firewood or bow wood in the cooler seasons for obvious reasons like less sweat, fewer bugs and snakes, etc.  Also, the grub eggs have already been laid in the bark only to hatch when the weather warms so steps should be taken to help prevent bug damage like removing the bark and sapwood and sealing the back well or soak the bark in an insecticide. The bark and sapwood are easier to remove from freshly cut wood than seasoned wood.

[bucknut]

Sounds like a tree murder is in my future.

[scrub-buster]

I like to cut it in the winter/early spring.   No bugs and no heat to deal with.  Sometimes if you cut osage in the summer the bark will loosen as it dries.  It can come off in one piece and leave the back unprotected from checking.  I've lost staves from that happening before.   

[Eric Krewson]

All my osage is salvage osage, cut in front of or behind a bulldozer. My osage cutting days are over, I have two lifetimes stockpiled, most of which I will probably give away as my age advances and I just can't make bows anymore, unfortunately I am almost there.

I have cut osage year round out of necessity, cut it or lose the opportunity. Like the others I prefer colder weather but don't remember having that option very often.

You will hear "cut it in the winter when the sap is down", nonsense, it doesn't matter, the osage I cut in N Alabama runs sap year round. You will also hear" it will burn your chainsaw up it is so hard" more nonsense, green it cuts as easily as any other hardwood. If you see sparks fly from a green tree as you cut it it has grit in the bark. A good sharp blade is a must as with any wood cutting, Seasoned osage is a different animal and pretty hard stuff, but again, a sharp chainsaw will do it in.

[Forwardhandle]

I agree with the sap running all year I usually cut in Jan/Feb and I have had trees here in Il that the sap is almost dripping but sharp blade or not I would take at least 2 chain saws it's saved me more then once , I have access to 1000s acres of trees & I only find for the work involved now that I'm not as spry lifting wise as I used to be I only cut the best of the best but I have gotten some nice off shoot branch wood Y's Ect  for little work and lifting with the pole saws I only cut what I have time to  process now !

[Eric Krewson]

I learned the "cut only what you can quickly process" lesson after about 5 years of cutting everything in sight. I worked for a month straight on the pile of osage logs in my backyard splitting them and getting the bark and sapwood off plus working a full time job with lots of overtime. My hands swelled up like sausages from all the drawknife work. I settled down to one tree at a time after that ordeal.

I lost some of that osage in the pile because I ended up letting it sit in the hot sun too long and it warped into a pile of snakes. I was burned out from so much stave work and didn't finish what I started.

[Forwardhandle]

Lol osage has a way of teaching you what to do with it I was not good at reading the bark the first time I cut & mostly ended up with fire wood but after that back breaking experience I learned quickly what to do but it's good to process & stock pile as I don't like to use any stave under 3 yrs old ,I probably have more osage then time to make bows but you never know kinda like money in the bank you never know what you need !