Osage as a Limb Core

[K2]

How is Osage as a core wood for limbs.  Is it smooth?  Thanks.  How does it compare to red elm limbs or amberboo?  Thanks for any input.  Ken

[billy shipp]

I have a Wapiti with Osage cores. It's as smooth and quick a any other limb core material I have shot.


Billy

[Lost Creek Bows]

I like osage for a limb core or for limbs period. I have had no trouble with osage and it's a very tough and quiet limb wood.

[sw]

Have to agree with Lost Creek...

Osage is a GREAT core wood, very stable, quiet and fast. Great to work with, easy to grind.

[Jeremy]

I'm gonna go against everybody above me  

The same properties that make osage a great selfbow wood - dense and stiff - aren't the best properties for a glass bow, where you want a light and stiff core.  

Osage cored limbs will be heavier than elm or maple limbs of a similar design.  There's no way around it.  It's heavier and the average piece isn't any stiffer.  More mass to move in the limbs = lower performance.

The two bows I've owned/shot with osage cores were noticably slower than their counterparts (I had maple cored bows from the same bowyers).  One was still a nice bow to shoot, but the other was a bit shocky.

[Apex Predator]

What do you think of hickory cores Jeremy?  Against conventional wisdom, it makes an awesome core.  Me thinks design trumps materials in this case.

[Jeremy]

I haven't shot one with hickory cores.  Wanna send me matching bows: hickory and boo cores to test?  :D  LOL!

The selfbows I've shot out of hickory were nice if they were kept in the hotbox to keep 'em dry.  If allowed to equilibrate with the high humidity they were sluggish dogs.

[ron w]

I have a Osage limbed recurve that I really like. That being said, the bows that I have that are around the same specs. that have bamboo cores out perform the osage hands down. I guess it all depends on what your looking for in performance.

[frank bullitt]

I'm with Jeremy on this.  I have an all osage lams, glass, r/d longbow. It was my first custom bow ever. It's a beauty, shoots hard, not quick, and not the smoothest drawing.

  Yes it is tough and forgiving wood! That's why I don't think it works good with glass. It can do just find all by itself. That's why I love my osage selfbows!

 If for looks, go with a veneer of osage, and use a core of red elm, boo, or even sassafrass. It does probably better in a recurve, because of wider, thinner lams, but in a deep core, narrow limbed bow, I wouldn't. Good shootin, Steve

[Blasterjdh]

Man I must say this -- and I know its been said already but -- I gain a wealth of information from this site.... I read these posts from all the experts and I am able to understand at least in part the reasoning behind their comments/suggestions....

I look forward to my education each and every day I am able to read from this forum...

Waiting for my next lesson ---  

[sw]

I had a guy have a bow built built for him with osage and bamboo - two lams osage over a taper of bamboo (center). It was built and a near identical was built of all osage. Speed wise they were very close (within a few FPS). Performance wise in visual, felt shock, arrow consistancy - zero difference. The bows were not built to test the differences - so i did not do lots of testing. However i don't agree with being slow due to higher limb mass - if they are slower, it is not much and being smooth? - oh yeah osage cores are smooth...

I have shot one longbow (66") hill style made of all osage lam's and it was a pleasure to shoot, it seemed to hit targets HARD compared to other wood types, but that may have been perception as well.

Osage is a GREAT core wood! Apex, i had never thought of hickory laminates.... Sounds interesting. Gonna have to try them. I have done hickory backed hickorys and boo backed hickorys forever, but never thought of hickory as a laminate type wood....

Dave

[Wannabe1]

Osage is my all time favorite wood whether it be in the limb cores, riser or lamination! Just can't beat its beauty and functionality. Personal view only of course.