Osage, I don't get it

[Zbearclaw]

First of all I have never seen a bow with Osage in it in person, but the pics don't give me reason to care to see it.

What is it about Osage that makes it a beautiful bow wood?  Looks very plain to me alone.  Coupled with the right woods it surely brings out the other woods beauty, but still looks very plain to me, almost non-wood.

I have read/heard it is a very workable bow material and makes a great self bow, but as far as a beauty wood it looks just like "yella wood" to me.

Please enlighten me if you will.

[Stiks-n-Strings]

If you would ever get your hands on a piece and could see the grain up close especially after it has darkened with age you would love it. Maybe not.
 It does work great but is harder than hammered hell and you have to use really sharp tools.
 I'm a woodworker and just love to work with wood but have recently started my journey as a bowyer and have fell in love with osage after working some.

[Ron Haines]

I know it is the best wood you can burn in a fireplace.  Puts out the most btu's per cord than any other wood.

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

It's just like anything else, just because one guy likes it doesn't mean you will.  I don't like the way osage looks either.  I like the darker woods myself but you may not like them either.  It's personal preference if you don't like it then you don't like it.

[Mudd]

Buckeye Trad Hunter absolutely nailed it!

Well almost..lol....

Here Buckeye let me paraphrase(fix) that for you...lol

["It's just like anything else, just because one guy likes it doesn't mean you will..... It's personal preference. If you don't like it, then you don't like it."]

If I need a stick to beat off a wounded bear or need a lever to pry a vehicle loose or if I need bang on a tree to get that rascally squirrel to move at least enough the(blind-as-a-bat) field judge can see him.... gimme a piece of hedge(Osage) but if I don't have that at hand then any one of my old self bows will do the trick, at least they did in the past.

No! I never did have to beat off a wounded bear but a wounded 3XL coon makes for a close second...lol

MHO
God bless,Mudd

PS:Buckeye, please forgive me if any of my    malarkey in any way offends you.

[ethan]

Once osage has aged a little it takes on more of a "caramel" color as the osage darkens.  Osage has very nice characteristics for building selfbows and there is alot of history with osage.

[Liquid Amber]

Lots of wood looks pretty under glass, but that has nothing to do with it as a bow wood.  One has to remove the glass to determine if it is bow wood.

I like osage, except for burning in my fireplace...it pops too much.    

Live oak has more BTUs than osage, but I don't like burning it either.

Give me a middle of the road, well seasoned piece of white oak.

As to what it is about osage I like?  Maybe because it is solid, dependable, honest and enduring ....kinda' the same qualities I find in old friends.  

[xtrema312]

I never liked it much.  Then I got some duck and goose calls with it, and now I like it for calls.  It is really durable and stable for that.  Also they sometime burn or flame it to give it more character and bring out the grain.  That looks good.  It has a lot of cool fine iridescent grain to it, and it gets better to me when it darkens.  I have an all osage Lost Creek right now.  I got it on trade to try it out.  I still don't know about it in a bow, but it is growing on me.  I have seen a few bows with osage accents and I have liked the way they look in combination with the other woods.  I still like a lot of other woods better personally, but osage is growing on me some now.  

Here is a pic of some figured veneers.
 

[BadKarma]

It's really the properties of Osage that make it one of the best for bows. Very tough. It aint the purtiest wood, but it puts them all to shame.

When you make a selfbow, you can use osage all by itself. Any other wood you should really back it with something.

BTW, Osage makes some really nice knife scales, too.

[John Scifres]

Fresh osage is yellow.  Give a couple weeks in the sun and it turns a beautiful golden brown.  Over time it gets deeper and deeper in color.

  These bows are roughly sorted by age.  The top one is 12 years old but ir was dyed a little so it might be a bit darker than natural.  The second one is about the same age.  The last selfbow is fropm 2004 and is a really cool osage that is almost burly, even though you can't see that in the pic.  The bottom one is osage in the handle of my Ancient Spirits glass bow.  You should hold one of these and see if you don't like osage  

[Bow man]

Some of our favorite wood for bows. We are in the process of building a Osage and walnut longbow for PBS
The grain is magnificent in it

Check out some pictures on our website

[joevan125]

I have a osage PSA X with copperhead skins and when it arrived it was bright yellow.  

I started leaving it out in the sun a lot and man that wood has turned into a rich light brown with a yellow tone.

Its the best looking bow i have and just as soon as i can im  going to get Bob to build me one with some cocobolo down the middle with copperheads.

[BobCo 1965]

Picture do not do osage juctice IMO. I had a HH Croc at one time that was very well seasoned and the osage on the bow was one of the most beautiful woods that I have ever seen.

[wollelybugger]

If you get a chance to make a Osage self bow try it. I wouldn't say it is the nicest looking wood but it makes a nice self bow.

[ron w]

I have a Northwind recurve with Osage lams. The grain patterns on those lams rivals any wood I have ever seen and as it ages it just gets better and better. Not all Osage is figured with wild grains, but when it is wow.......

[Danny J]

I have a good friend and fellow archer that just luuuuuvs the beauty of osage in bows. I will remain tight lipped as I have in honor of my friend.

[kat]

I would have to agree that part of its beauty is its conrast to some of the darker woods.
That being said; I like that canary yellow color better when it is new.

[Frenchymanny]

I am one of those who love osage.

I started liking that wood when making selfbows.

For my specific taste, osage goes well with cocobolo, and the brown reddish strikes in it as it ages makes a rich cocobolo look even better!

F-Manny

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

No worries Mudd I'm not one to get upset over those type of things.  I've got a pretty good sense of humor.

Don't get me wrong about the Osage, as far as it's properties go it's a great bow wood, but I don't like the way it looks.  That being said, if I made a selfbow and had the chance to use osage I would.  Then I could have an ugly bow that lasts forever.

[reddogge]

I personally love the look of osage when it ages.  Self bowyers are using it for its bow making properties, not its beauty same as the American Indians.