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Would you save this piece?

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M2A:
I'm fortunate to be able to get my hands on enough locust to keep me busy. Osage on the other hand is a rare find. However about a month ago I was gifted a few logs harvested from a construction site.  Been spending most of my free time processing it, not straight or clear but making the best of what I got.
The outer 30 years or so the rings in some of it is very tight. For the most part I just split it off and/or worked around it to get to better rings. After taking a nice belly split from the stave below I set this piece in the firewood pile but just could not get myself to cut it up. Nice reflex in the handle area with plenty of width and length. Ring thickness is pretty consistent from end to end. I have tried locust with similar rings in the past and it could not handle the compression.
I have read on here before that some folks speak highly of tight ringed osage, I have not worked enough osage to know. So my question is, Should I spend the time to remove bark and sap wood and save or do you think the rings are too thin? If I try this piece in the future I would back with rawhide or sinew. What would you do?
Thanks, Mike
IMG_4976 by Mike Allridge, on Flickr             

bownarra:
If you don't want it send it to me :)
My very best osage bows have been from tight ringed wood. Easy enough to chase a good ring. Chase an EARLYWOOD ring first, then clean that up to reveal your chosen latewood ring. Of course at this point you only need some sandpaper and a scraper.
I wouldn't bother with the rawhide or sinew for protections sake. No need :)

Pat B:
Split it in half and send me one half too. You have to be careful with thin ringed osage but it makes great bows. If you have trouble getting a clean back ring(without violations) just add a rawhide backing to it. That looks like some pretty good stuff to me.  :OK

TimBo:
I would shoot for one of the darker rings.  I bet the belly split is a really nice piece.

osage outlaw:
That's a lot of early wood.  Thin rings don't bother me.  That ratio does a little bit though. 

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