Osage orange design?

[bjrogg]

I would just seal it. Once you have it cut to length you don’t really want it checking on you. You might be safe , but it’s really just a good habit to seal it. And when you chase a ring for sure. Even if you don’t finish chasing the ring, seal the back. It can check badly overnight. Especially sapwood.

Bjrogg

[WhistlingBadger]

Here are what the rings look like.  I think these checks are going to be hard to avoid, but hopefully once I get the bark off I can find a place to thread the needle somewhere.

[bentstick54]

Leave the staves 84” long and remove the bark and sapwood and seal the back. Sometimes those end checks will only go in 6” or 8”. If you’re lucky with the extra length of your stave you can shorten it to get past the checks and still have plenty of stave to work with.
I’ve made 50# bows as short as 61” and 63” with 4” stiff handle and 2” fades.