Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: artcher1 on January 25, 2011, 08:37:14 pm
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Got some Osage billets in on trade for some of my cane arrows and kinda of worried about this one billet. Looks and feels (with drawknife) like decay to me. Anyone dealt with something like this before? Art
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im am by no means an expert on osage or anything else realy :P
but that black stuff looks like a fungus or maybe mold even to me
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I have some staves with dark redish streaks in them and they have worked for bows. I don't know about the black stuff though. That could be fungus or something.
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The bows I have made with the red streaks were the best bows I've made. The Osage with red streaks seems to be denser wood. I don't know about the darker marks. I'd have to see it live and in person to make any judgement. I suspect you have some good bow wood and should proceed on to a finished bow.
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I think there are two different versions of red streaked osage. Any that I have used has been superior osage but I have heard of folks having very poor quality red streaked osage. Probably two different situations. The gray streaks definately look like fungi(spalting) and I guess the red could be a fungi also.
If the wood feels douty it probably won't be good osage bow wood. Might make nice accent pieces. I think I'd try to get a better match for the other billet. Obviously not sisters...heck, not even distant cousins! ;)
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I have an osage that looks just like that. I have to say its a dog. 155fps with 9gpp. But it shoots well.
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Thanks for the help guys. After doing some rasping on the wood this morning I'm pretty certain it's a form of decay also. Wood seems especially soft in the dark places plus it's rather brash. Good news though, the gentleman offered to replace it.............Art
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I think it is a form of decay. It may have been fallen wood or wood that was blown down in a storm. I try to stay away from fallen wood when I can help it. I once made 3 bows that should have been decent, if not very good, from an osage tree that was blown down when hurricane force winds blew through Indiana back in '08. Not one of the 3 bows survived to shoot-in stage. 2 blew up in final tillering without even lifting a splinter first. Like PatB said, I would not use that billet for bow.
CP