Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: osage outlaw on February 18, 2013, 10:02:02 pm
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I needed to cut some osage for the classic and today seemed like the perfect day, low 50's and sunny. It has been 2 years since the last time I cut any. I picked out a leaning tree that had a few straight areas in it. I got 3 logs, a billet length piece, and two nice looking limbs. On a couple of pieces I can see a wavy pattern to the bark so I hope the grain of the wood is the same. I also looked around and cut some small but ancient looking trees. They are hard as a rock and have the dark color to them. I think the trees died a long time ago and they have just been aging gracefully. I'm trying to study the trees to learn what the wood is going to be like inside.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20CLINT-HP/New%20bow%20stuff/SDC15375.jpg)
I don't know if you can see the wavy bark pattern in this picture. Sometimes things just don't show up in a photo.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20CLINT-HP/New%20bow%20stuff/SDC15376.jpg)
The two pieces on the left are the old trees. The one has rings like Yew.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20CLINT-HP/New%20bow%20stuff/SDC15377.jpg)
After I got all those cut and sealed my Dad came home and helped me drag them out with his utility truck. Everything went so easy and quick that we decided to cut one more log out of a tree that fell across one of our trails. We looked it over and decided to undercut it so it wouldn't pinch the saw. We misread the tree and quickly had the saw stuck. It took us an hour and a half to get that thing loose. I think we were on plan D by the time we got it out. After that we cut that one section free and headed for the house.
I'm not sure a 14" homelite is intended to cut some of the things I tackle with it. Maybe next year Santa will bring me a bigger saw.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20CLINT-HP/New%20bow%20stuff/SDC15379.jpg)
Dad let me store them in his garage for the next couple of months.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20CLINT-HP/New%20bow%20stuff/SDC15381.jpg)
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nice haul Clint.that one log my have some snake in it.hopefully it has waves like that bark.
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I can't wait to meet these staves, I mean YOU, at the Classic!
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No staves. I'm bringing logs this year. I may split them in half to make them easier to handle.
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With constructive help and a good supervisor, I might be trained to run a maul and set of wedges!
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OO, and others
OO not to hijack your post but my question is relayed
I know that there is a male and female osage tree. has any one seen a difference in bow preformance in the two??
Thanks DB
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What do I got to do to get that wavy one pal? I'm betting there's some snakes in that one. Pleeease may I have it 8)
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OO, and others
OO not to hijack your post but my question is relayed
I know that there is a male and female osage tree. has any one seen a difference in bow preformance in the two??
Thanks DB
Heck if I know. Osage is Osage as far as I'm concerned. Never even thought if it was male or female.
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They say that Osage grows here in Ohio. I think I need to spend a day out, wandering the woods behind my house to see if I can find any. Buying them is getting old. lol
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What do I got to do to get that wavy one pal? I'm betting there's some snakes in that one. Pleeease may I have it 8)
I got one full section and the billet piece is like that. I might split the billet tomorrow and see what its like inside. I have a few trades going on with some logs so I can't promise anything. If it turns out crazy grained I might be greedy and keep that one for myself >:D
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I like every one of them!
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Nice haul and Nice Firebird! You sure get a lot out of the homelite Clint :o
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Fun stuff
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Funny, the bar on my chainsaw is upside down, also! ;D It was 20 degrees when I used it a few days ago. Chain fell off, well... you know. Nice haul on the osage, Clint! Gonna love that snakey one!
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DB...I've cut a few males and made bows from them and as far as I'm concerned...osage is osage..and better than anything else ;) the males I've cut have had darker orange colored wood and usually smaller rings...that's just my experience tho with them
Sled where in Ohio do you live...I'm betting there's hedge within minutes from ya..I have cut a bit of my hedge in Ohio.
Ok pal...how bout those two sister splits I see in it..cus that's all I want anyways >:D
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You can't kill a homelite. That saw is 11 years old I think. Its cut a lot of osage and other trees. Its cut some big ones too. My homelite weedeater is just as old and just as mean.
Matt, my saw won't start when its that cold. Well, I don't know that for sure but I'm just going to assume it won't ;) Thats to cold to be cutting wood.
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I hear the bows from female Osage are very curvaceous, guys can't keep there hands of them but they can be finicky and break your heart. Bows from male trees trend to be boring sticks with little personality, but can definitely put meat on the table ;D
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Oddly enough it is the female trees that have the balls hanging from them.
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Thanks................not quite the replys I was expecitng. But I should have known from you guys ;D
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I seem to remember waaaay back there was discussion in buck vs doe osage and that no one really felt there was much difference. That's odd, because if there is half a chance where two or more (and in some cases just one) bowyer is discussing something there will be a wide variety of opinions.
To make any real informed decision, you would have to make very large numbers of bows from each. You'd have to track each bow over it's life to really have a good picture of it's usefullness. And even then a lot of your variability will come from execution of design and the sheer variability of one tree to the next. One osage tree will make great bows and the tree standing next to it is just good for firewood. Well, it's best purpose is firewood if I'm the bowyer hacking away at it like a rabid meth-lab-crazed beaver.
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JW.......Good point.....well taken.
Thanks
DB
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Best of all, neither has shown a tendency to fail easily! Guess that's why some folks call osage THE KING!!!!!
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Blackhawk - I'm up in northeast Ohio. There are acres and acres of woods that connect to my property. I'm sure if I spend a day searching, I could come up with something.
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Another great haul Clint. Awesome looking wood there buddy.
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Nice haul Clint,some good looking wood in that bunch.
Pappy
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Thanks................not quite the replys I was expecitng. But I should have known from you guys ;D
They are dioecious like persimmon and ginkgo. I've cut both knowingly and can't tell any difference. I would prefer smaller diameter trees 10-12" over male/female.
Clint, looks like a good days work. Those small sapling/ limbs will make some good bows.
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Sled...there's def osage up your way...I cut a lot of mine in east central Ohio just south of you(about 20 mins south of boardman/Youngstown area) I live in pa but only a couple miles from the border. You may not find it in forests,but along field edges,and old pastures where a fence line would've run..but sometimes I've seen hedge rows in thrid growth forest where the woods grew back up..they were mainly planted for fenceline and will more than likely be in a row tight against one another in a droopy tangled mess...good luck.....or ya could always take a drive n visit me...I got seasoned hedge growing everywhere on my property ;)
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Dang Clint. I might have to see if I can get to the Classic and OJAM this year!
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Nice haul clint, I have a homie as well. Its great and lite. I can't wait to get back to Tenn and cut some more osage and bring back what I cut last year. But for now I need to get a first osage bow out of what I have here and stop putting it off.
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Osage outlaw, I bet you are a legend among osage trees. I bet they speak of you like some kind of evil tree murdering monster, that comes out every blue moon, and just to speak your name sends shivers down the bark of every osage tree... ;D
DB...I've cut a few males and made bows from them and as far as I'm concerned...osage is osage..
I know with regards to people, alot of times guys are tougher than girls, but I know alot of girls that will beat you and me down just like a man. ;) So I kinda think osage trees might be the same way, and I personally would put more stock into the growing conditions than male or female.
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Osage outlaw, I bet you are a legend among osage trees. I bet they speak of you like some kind of evil tree murdering monster, that comes out every blue moon, and just to speak your name sends shivers down the bark of every osage tree... ;D
DB...I've cut a few males and made bows from them and as far as I'm concerned...osage is osage..
I know with regards to people, alot of times guys are tougher than girls, but I know alot of girls that will beat you and me down just like a man. ;) So I kinda think osage trees might be the same way, and I personally would put more stock into the growing conditions than male or female.
It's worrisome when knothead gets philosophical, but he has a point. Most of the time the hat on his head covers it. That being said, trees are much like people. They can come from good seedstock, be well taken care of, and still not all of them tiller out well in the end.
And in the end, if God is an osage tree, OO is gonna BUUURRRRNNNNN!!!!!!
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nice haul, but I would be worried about the osage with rings like yew,,they are about 90 percent early wood,,the other log was very nice second growth ,would like to see some more photos of the end grain,,
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The thin ring stuff is kind of an experiment. I was expecting them to be very thin when I cut it.
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I tried some osage like that a few years ago ,seemed like they held up good but took a lot more wood to get a hunting weight bow, I have grown to like the second growth wood really dence and springy look forward to meeting u at the classic,,i have been a stave dealer for almost 30 years, I have been out of the business for 4 years, but I am going to the tn classic this year, I have really missed making some gold shavings
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I tried some osage like that a few years ago ,seemed like they held up good but took a lot more wood to get a hunting weight bow, I have grown to like the second growth wood really dence and springy look forward to meeting u at the classic,,i have been a stave dealer for almost 30 years, I have been out of the business for 4 years, but I am going to the tn classic this year, I have really missed making some gold shavings
I look forward to meeting you also. We can talk yeller wood.
I have heard a lot of people like the dense thin ringed wood so I thought I would try to find some and give it a try.
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IT'S WIGGLY!!!
I split the short piece in half to see if the bark was telling the truth. It only took me a few swings of the hammer to get my answer. I honestly didn't notice the bark was like that until after I had cut it. When I picked out the tree I made sure it wasn't twisted but never noticed the wiggly pattern.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20CLINT-HP/New%20bow%20stuff/SDC15386.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20CLINT-HP/New%20bow%20stuff/SDC15389.jpg)
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Oh sweet mystery of life, at last I have found you!
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Nice Clint.
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Sled...there's def osage up your way...I cut a lot of mine in east central Ohio just south of you(about 20 mins south of boardman/Youngstown area) I live in pa but only a couple miles from the border. You may not find it in forests,but along field edges,and old pastures where a fence line would've run..but sometimes I've seen hedge rows in thrid growth forest where the woods grew back up..they were mainly planted for fenceline and will more than likely be in a row tight against one another in a droopy tangled mess...good luck.....or ya could always take a drive n visit me...I got seasoned hedge growing everywhere on my property ;)
I might have to take you up on that one of these days. I live about 15 minutes north of Boardman actually. I need to see about finding my own secret stash first though. lol
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That there is my favorite kind of Osage! Good score man!!! :o
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Oh sweet Jesus....that was the fastest I ever wet my pants ;D :laugh:
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+1 Blackhawk
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Oh my Clint! I just wet myself and got drool all over my truck! I gotta go cut some yeller! Josh
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Go ahead and send my way ::) >:D PLEASE!!!
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SOOOOOO jealous of those who live in areas with Osage. Even more jealous of the Osage Outlaw for that wiggly score... That looks like a ton of work and its nice to see it reaped a fine reward! Congratulations!
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You people shouldn't be jealous of another guys wood
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You people shouldn't be jealous of another guys wood
I try, and I try, but I just can't help myself. Don't be judgin' me!
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I'm off work tomorrow and have several honey-do tasks to do, I bow to lay out and chase the rings on my trade bow. BUT, I may have to take some time to go cut something wiggly and yeller. Clint has given a case of wiggly yeller fever.
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Nice haul Clint. You weren't kidding when you said you have plenty on your property. I do too but most of it is firewood cuz we got so much wind most of the year. I cut a tree about 4yrs ago that had some serious wiggle like that. Got a couple staves out of it still that I haven't worked with yet but been eye balling last couple months. Rings are so tight tight tight and its dark stuff too. Ifn I can coax a bow out of em they wil be way cool. I may even try and make my trade bow out of one of em, just not sure if my skills are up to it. Guess we'll find out. Danny