Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: osage outlaw on December 07, 2013, 06:45:38 pm
-
I made a comment a while back about a piece of osage I cut that had "yewish" rings. I was moving some wood around the other day and I found it. Its the tightest ringed osage I have seen. To bad its mostly sapwood.
Does anyone else have any super tight ringed staves in their stash?
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20CLINT-HP/New%20bow%20stuff/SDC15982.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20CLINT-HP/New%20bow%20stuff/SDC15981.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20CLINT-HP/New%20bow%20stuff/SDC15981small.jpg)
-
I went through about 20 staves last year just like that and I loved it! never believe anything you read until you try it yourself.
-
Wow, that is tight. I cant say I have ever worked it that tight. I love tight ringed Osage from small diameter staves like that above any other. I'd give it a whirl and see what I had. It looks like mostly early wood but you never know. It's magical stuff! Keep us posted.
-
Good thread! The tightest-ringed staves I have are juniper but I'm not sure how to count the rings. The youngest rings seem thickest but when I look closely there appears to be rings within rings.
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/DSC_0047_zps10d1c27e.jpg) (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/jackcrafty/media/DSC_0047_zps10d1c27e.jpg.html)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/jackcrafty/DSC_0046_zpsb641ffe8.jpg) (http://s246.photobucket.com/user/jackcrafty/media/DSC_0046_zpsb641ffe8.jpg.html)
-
I've seen one tighter than that make a bow. Friend of mine ordered a starter stave from a well known supplier and it looked like a stack of printer paper. No late growth what so ever. He sinewed it and took his first selfbow buck with it. You just never know............Art
-
I like tight ringed osage and think it makes a snappier bow. I would add a rawhide backing.
-
I've got some almost that fine and have used some of it. I hate it. About the time I think I've nearly scraped through the ring I'm trying to take off, I find I'm halfway through the next one. :embarassed:
Jim Davis
-
Jim, that's why I use rawhide backing. ;)
-
I don't have any left, but the stuff I have got as tight ringed as your stuff was all from smaller diameter trees like yours.
-
(...)To bad its mostly sapwood.
Mostly sapwood? I think you're mistaken. That stave looks like 90% heartwood. The sapwood appears to be weathered off. Only a few patches on the 7, 8 and 10 o'clock positions. The sapwood must be thin as well, with rings this fine.
-
Think he meant earlywood...
-
That's tight!! I think I have some character staves with rings that tight, or nearly. I will dig them out when I get home from work and snap a couple photos. The stuff looks so cranky, I'm afraid to try it. May have to challenge someone with it.
-
I'll take tight ringed wood of any species over wood with wide rings, including for osage.
-
What I would do is remove the bark and sapwood and go with the first good ring. I've gone up and down the stave looking for one ring LOL. If the first ring presents itself complete after removing the sapwood I would go with it.
I would also leave the bow a little longer to by abiout 2 inches to counteract the crown which appears to be a pretty good one.
Jawge
-
Think he meant earlywood...
Yes. I meant early wood. Not sure why I typed sapwood.
-
Those are really tight rings. Here's a stave I'm planning on working into a sinew backed recurve this winter.
-
(http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y406/Gsulfridge/Mobile%20Uploads/720BC545-7707-4CE6-9D0E-521F702CB48F_zpslydenyq7.jpg) (http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/Gsulfridge/media/Mobile%20Uploads/720BC545-7707-4CE6-9D0E-521F702CB48F_zpslydenyq7.jpg.html)
Here is a tight ringed stave that may become a bow shortly.
-
Then there's this one. The rings are so wide that inside the late wood ring is tiny circles of early wood. . . . What the heck ?
(http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y406/Gsulfridge/AAD59F0E-D524-4C68-9181-21047E66A13B-18010-000016E4EC10F9F1_zps5f616339.jpg) (http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/Gsulfridge/media/AAD59F0E-D524-4C68-9181-21047E66A13B-18010-000016E4EC10F9F1_zps5f616339.jpg.html)
-
Then there's this one. The rings are so wide that inside the late wood ring is tiny circles of early wood. . . . What the heck ?
(http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y406/Gsulfridge/AAD59F0E-D524-4C68-9181-21047E66A13B-18010-000016E4EC10F9F1_zps5f616339.jpg) (http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/Gsulfridge/media/AAD59F0E-D524-4C68-9181-21047E66A13B-18010-000016E4EC10F9F1_zps5f616339.jpg.html)
Lol those look the same as my first two bows. I wonder if you can get them wide enough if it is as good as slow growth osage :o be a cool thing to try :laugh:
-
Then there's this one. The rings are so wide that inside the late wood ring is tiny circles of early wood. . . . What the heck ?
You got early wood in your late wood, that is no good! ;D Just kidding, I think that is what some people call the lunar rings, as opposed to the annual growth rings. Whether or not it is related to the moon phase, I guess you get bursts of growth at intervals during the late wood growth. I have seen that in osage too.
Clint that is some tight ringed osage! Is it branch? Did that thing grow in a cave or what?
-
Carson, that was a small dead tree that I cut this spring. I have been trying to cut some dead standing trees to experiment with. I have a lot of trees that look ancient but are small diameter. Maybe I'll cut a few next year and try to chase a micro ring.
-
Actually Carson, that is high elevation osage. It only grows in the mountains on the east coast of Indiana ;D
-
I'll play along , got two new places to cut osage last spring and they run from wide rings to tight rings , some of them on the same log , center pith of the trees were off center leaving wide rings on one side tight on the other . The first one is down to floor tiller and waiting to season better.
(http://i1367.photobucket.com/albums/r800/Poggins/41FFBE3A-8E01-4290-A2DA-8762CA5A98C0-1044-000002F8B5FF1A46_zps1861f4a6.jpg)
(http://i1367.photobucket.com/albums/r800/Poggins/E1A73894-42F6-408B-B9EC-987103F23F15-1044-000002F8E5126424_zpsb6f53b2c.jpg)
(http://i1367.photobucket.com/albums/r800/Poggins/71086700-A1D4-43B3-8B06-3A2B6BC7B802-1044-000002F9090101AA_zps86d6d1e7.jpg)
(http://i1367.photobucket.com/albums/r800/Poggins/313824AC-0411-49AF-B50F-1A468C48BABE-1044-000002F99C4538AD_zps382094ec.jpg)
-
That looks like some good stuff Poggins
-
Actually Carson, that is high elevation osage. It only grows in the mountains on the east coast of Indiana ;D
Ohhh yeahh, that is the good stuff right there ;)
-
The stave pic I posted was the first osage I ever cut. It was in the woods, about 7-8" in diameter, I'm sure it was competing with all the other trees and brush around it. hence the slow growing and tight rings. The first bows I made were from this tree, two unbacked bows and two bows backed with linen and they all have lifted a splinter. Three of the four failed to the point of no return. The only one that has survived was a 25# @ 25" bow I made for my wife. It splintered under the linen but is still shooting. Could be because it is 66" long with a 25" long draw. Another bow I backed with linen from this tree I posted on here a while back with a lot of natural reflex, It was very snappy with good cast and a smooth draw to it. Shot it a bunch for a few months, I guess I had 400 arras through her. I thought it was good until it raised a splinter under the linen, then it was finished.
I'm hoping I've gotten better at tillering and chasing a ring since those bows, I plan to sinew back a recurve from the same tree this winter. If this doesn't work I think I'm giving up on the tree and will give away the rest of the staves to someone else for a challenge.
-
Them last pictures is just how I like them,it is all about the ratio to me,as long as the early growth is very fine I don't really care about the thinness of the summer growth.I like it pretty fine[maybe not quite that fine Clint] but It seems to make a snapper bow as Pat said. If the rings are fine and the ratio is bad I would go for a lighter weight bow and probably back with rawhide,maybe go a little longer and wider also. :)
Pappy
-
Clint, Thin rings are only desirable if they contain little spring growth. Your stave looks to me like it has mostly early wood. If you do build something with it, I would definetly back it with something, A few courses of sinew would probably make it a snappy little bow! Take care.
-
I've never seen them that thin, Clint. I love the thin ringed stuff, though. I'll look forward to seeing the bow, you gotta post that one up and let us know it is this piece.
-
I have one that I'm going to back with rawhide. It's a quick selfbow.
-
Actually Carson, that is high elevation osage. It only grows in the mountains on the east coast of Indiana ;D
I think I know that area. High elevation coastal desert marshland? Even better if the sun sets in the east in that part of the county where it was harvested.
Oy vay, that does look yewish. If I didn't know better I would say there was something gefilta fishy about the photo and that it was photoshopped yew.
Good luck with it, Clint. And as always...post pics!