Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: WhistlingBadger on January 16, 2026, 12:13:03 am
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I scored what appears to be a nice Osage orange log from a friend. It's been sitting in his shed for around 20 years, he says. It does have some extensive checks--I won't know how bad until I get the bark off a stave and start working it--but I think I was able to avoid the worst ones with judicial splitting.
So, I've never worked with Osage before...I seem to remember reading that narrow and deep, with a D-cross section and fairly bendy tips is the way to go. Is that right? All my successful bows thus far have been flatbows, so this is new territory for me. Recommendations?
I'm hoping to get a c. 60# bow that will draw smoothly, be reasonably forgiving of my creative ineptitude, and cast a 600-700 grain arrow with authority.
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Osage is A grade bow wood. You can go narrow, thin, like a longbow, or you can go wider, flat and shorter in length.
What diameter and length is your log?
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I don't know about "bendy" tips, I have never done that in about 150 osage bows.
You can make any design out there with osage, like was said; wide and flat, narrower with a slightly rounded belly or full on ELB with a D cross section.
I make mine 1 1/4" wide, non bending handle, 64" NTN for draw lengths up to 28". I have a slight radius on the belly that transitions to a more D profile at the tips. I make my tips narrow and a little deeper for strength. I always add a tip overlays because I think they enhance the looks of a bow.
Belly and tip, the extra groove is for a parachute cord bow stringer, very safe and won't slip off.
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If it has nice rings (i.e. thicker late wood than the lighter colored early wood) then you can get away with as narrow as inch and a quarter at the fades. I prefer at least inch and three-eighths, but I've had the narrower limbed bows take a little more set but shoot just fine.
If you find checks that got into the heartwood, don't lose hope! Just get to the very first layer of yellow, give it a light sanding with 150 grit, and try laying out a bow that avoids a check that runs out the edge. If you don't get it, don't fret it. Carefully try the next growth ring, and repeat trying to find a layout that avoids checks that run out the edge.
More than once I have been able to lay out a bow with one limb on the far right edge of a stave and the other limb on the far left edge of a stave. So what? Lay out those lovely limbs and draw in a handle that connects the two. You'll wanna make sure the grip and fades are a little more robust, but you can still pull off a bow even if the center lines of the two limbs don't connect in the grip area. Osage is pretty forgiving stuff.
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Like said above, you can make any style bow from Osage. Please post a few pics of the log, stave and end grain. Also, after you remove the bark and sapwood be sure to seal the back and ends. Even if it is a 20 year old log it still has some moisture in it and it can check if you don't seal it. I like to use spray shellac but any shellac will do. I like shellac because it is easily removed later with alcohol.
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My first encounter with Osage was a wet log. At first it seemed like an incredible amount of work for what seemed like a crooked rubbery piece of wood. My stave was reduced to close to bow dimensions and the back and ends sealed right away. I didn’t pick it up again for several months.
I couldn’t believe the difference. It was stiff and springy. Even though it was incredibly crooked I could easily manipulate it with dry heat on the belly. What seemed like a sliver of wood I didn’t know if I could get a kids bow out of made my Simply Orange bow I still hunt with today.
You can make any design you want WB. And it is definitely worth the effort. Like Pat said. Remove the bark and sapwood before you narrow up your stave to much. You need to have a ring chased before you really know what you have to work with.
I honestly don’t measure anything except the center of the bow. I lay my Osage out with my draw knife and let it follow the grain. I don’t know if you want to try that, but I love how Osage works with a draw knife. All staves aren’t the same though and some tear out.
I also like reducing by taking belly splits. It really helps with the rapid reduction and I often get a belly stave that is often big enough to make a bow.
Getting the bark off an aged stave can be a big job.and hopefully no bug damage. If you have bugs you need to chase ring below the damage.
I looking forward to seeing what you create.
There’s a reason I still use Osage even though I’m allergic to it.
Bjrogg
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If the log is 69” long build a 67” flat bow . You can’t go wrong if you have built selfbows before. I suggest 1-1/2 to 1-3/4” at fades. But most any design works on Osage
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If the log is 69” long build a 67” flat bow . You can’t go wrong if you have built selfbows before. I suggest 1-1/2 to 1-3/4” at fades. But most any design works on Osage
My frame of reference is hickory self bows and sinew-backed juniper. I'm guessing this is going to be a lot different from either of those. ;D The staves are around 84" long; some of them have a bend at the end I'll have to remove or work around but otherwise it looks straight, no knots, no twist!
The ends are sealed with glue, so I will have to do a little sawing to see what the rings look like. I'll try to post a few pics later. I'll probably try to split off some of the sapwood on the most likely looking stave this weekend.
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I’m with Arvin, aka Selfbowman. I wood trim the ends enough to see what the rings look like, mark how you want to try to split, and reseal the ends. I like 67” ttt , or 66” ntn flat bows. 1-1/2” to 1-3/4” wide at the fades tapering to 3/8” to 1/2” tips. Produces a durable, good shooting bow at about any draw weight. Once split, bark and sapwood removed, and the back sealed, set aside to dry. When you get ready to make a bow, get the limb thickness thinned to 5/8” to 3/4”, and dry heat will take out the bend in the end.
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I cant wait to see pics of whatcha got there.
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I cant wait to see pics of whatcha got there.
I'm out of town this week, but hoping to get and end sawed off this weekend.
So, all you guys talking about resealing the ends and letting it dry...this log has been in a buddy's shed for 20 years, in Wyoming, which has some of the dryest air in the Union. Is that really necessary? I kind of suspect if it isn't dry by now, it's never going to be.
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Don't go for bendy tips!!!!
If you want to make the tips work a bit, you can always ease them off once the bow is tillered... but I still think it's a bad idea!
I've never seen a whip tillered bow that performed well, But I have seen stiff tipped bows that did!
Del
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Don't go for bendy tips!!!!
If you want to make the tips work a bit, you can always ease them off once the bow is tillered... but I still think it's a bad idea!
I've never seen a whip tillered bow that performed well, But I have seen stiff tipped bows that did!
Del
+1
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Bendy tips have some advantages, in some cases, but its rare to need them and they cost you in power. They can help with efficiency. Sometimes power alone wont get you where you need, so you flex the tips a little at the expense of power. I dont think thats what you are going for here.
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I cant wait to see pics of whatcha got there.
I'm out of town this week, but hoping to get and end sawed off this weekend.
So, all you guys talking about resealing the ends and letting it dry...this log has been in a buddy's shed for 20 years, in Wyoming, which has some of the dryest air in the Union. Is that really necessary? I kind of suspect if it isn't dry by now, it's never going to be.
It all depends how big the log is. There is dry and then there is dry for a bowyer. Once you have roughed it into a stave you can floor tiller, any residue of moisture should leave pretty quickly.
Also osage is a weird wood. I have had old osage develop fine drying cracks after roughing the bow's back down to one growth ring, and not resealing it with a thin coat of shellac. It may or may not happen to you, but after experiencing its a small price to pay to ensure it doesn't happen by resealing the back.
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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
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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.
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2phYq4Wlynjsodz_S6mom503ZOA6Vw41HJcDoNIAOIbIJEHOjZi5-xPV5Q5ZEfsoEVizSufUQJ6nRNW-i3rzILJKTJ0AkDdzjuryx-SjbLy4pxVaHpg7Wch5EmHnSfI96Ixa0Rdoufkh1VuQSmxVK6o-Rhg3GLxcS6JC1eAN1DUtac962oXLCGmMMgY/s320/Osage%20rings.jpeg)
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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.
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I scored what appears to be a nice Osage orange log from a friend. It's been sitting in his shed for around 20 years, he says. It does have some extensive checks--I won't know how bad until I get the bark off a stave and start working it--but I think I was able to avoid the worst ones with judicial splitting.
So, I've never worked with Osage before...I seem to remember reading that narrow and deep, with a D-cross section and fairly bendy tips is the way to go. Is that right? All my successful bows thus far have been flatbows, so this is new territory for me. Recommendations?
I'm hoping to get a c. 60# bow that will draw smoothly, be reasonably forgiving of my creative ineptitude, and cast a 600-700 grain arrow with authority.
You’re remembering right. Osage shines as a narrow, deep D-section bow with crowned back and stiff outer limbs. Start conservative: leave it thick, chase a clean ring, and let it tell you where it wants to bend. Bendy tips are fine, but don’t force them. For 60# with heavy arrows, smooth tiller and mass placement matter more than elegance.
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Hey buddy, those rings look delicious! I think you got some good wood there if you can thread the needle, as you so eloquently put it! Almost makes me wanna hone my draw knife and drive over to help you chase rings!
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Hey buddy, those rings look delicious! I think you got some good wood there if you can thread the needle, as you so eloquently put it! Almost makes me wanna hone my draw knife and drive over to help you chase rings!
I wish you could! I'm glad the rings aren't super narrow. I've never chased rings before so hopefully this log will take it fairly easy on me.
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A single, thin coat of shellac is sufficient to seal the back, correct?
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Yup. A couple of thin coats wouldn't hurt, but I usually just do one. Cheap paint also works if you are chasing a ring anyway.
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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.
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2phYq4Wlynjsodz_S6mom503ZOA6Vw41HJcDoNIAOIbIJEHOjZi5-xPV5Q5ZEfsoEVizSufUQJ6nRNW-i3rzILJKTJ0AkDdzjuryx-SjbLy4pxVaHpg7Wch5EmHnSfI96Ixa0Rdoufkh1VuQSmxVK6o-Rhg3GLxcS6JC1eAN1DUtac962oXLCGmMMgY/s320/Osage%20rings.jpeg)
from the pic here i see that there may be at least two bows with good rings here. Id get the bark off and sap wood down to first good ring then see where you are at for cracks or checks. I bet you find that you can get 2 bow staves. Another thing i would do is when you get to the stage of 2 staves would be sure to keep your belly drops. if you use a band saw this is easy but if you dont have one you may be able to make an angled cut near the fade down to about 1/2' up from back ring and split it off right to the tip. you can use these belly drops to make good sliced bows or laminate bows too.
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Yeah, I don't have a band saw; I do everything with hand tools. My belly drops generally either turn into kids' bows or smoking wood. -C-
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Good looking piece of Osage, I am sure you will turn it into something nice, like Dave said looks like 2 to me. :)
Pappy
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Yup maybe even three but don’t want to get greedy. Looks promising WB
I’m sure you will figure it out.
Take your time on chasing a ring. Start on one end and slowly a few inches at a time clean up a ring nice and shiny so you can see it good. I think nice dry Osage is easier to chase than wet. I go for the sound and feel of the crunchy early wood with my draw knife. Then I clean up the remaining early wood with my cabnet scraper leaving a nice shiny late wood ring. Don’t jump around and don’t get too far ahead without cleaning up shiny from edge to edge.
If you don’t finish it completely. Seal the back again to prevent checking overnight
Bjrogg
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Do you split off some of the sapwood or just peel it off with the draw knife? I don't want to get impatient but I want to finish a bow this century, too. ;D
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I have split off sapwood with mixed results. You might consider sawing down through it to a set depth (slightly above the heartwood) every few inches and knocking the chunks off with a chisel. That should work great since you can see both sides clearly, and it will avoid a split getting out of control and tearing heartwood.
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I’ve used drawknives, hatchets, and hammer and chisels. All will work, but then clean up any rough back and seal when done.
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WB. I just peeled the bark and sapwood off of a piece I had that was about 3 years old a few weeks ago. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can get the bark and sapwood off with a sharp drawknife.
Good luck and enjoy. One you get down to orange wood you’ll probably see exactly what you need to do.
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So, I've skinned three of the four quarters, and they all have some big checks coming in from either end. Don't know if I'm going to be able to get a flatbow out of these staves. What about an ELB? Does that design work with osage? Might be the best I can do.
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How far in do the checks go? Keep in mind that the tips will be pretty thin, so the checks may be gone before you get to the wider part of the limb. Are you still at 84"?
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So, I've skinned three of the four quarters, and they all have some big checks coming in from either end. Don't know if I'm going to be able to get a flatbow out of these staves. What about an ELB? Does that design work with osage? Might be the best I can do.
Paint the entire back with a thinned out glue or paint, as well as the ends, and dont store it someplace hot. That will get your checks under control.
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Show us some photos of the backs with sapwood removed.
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So, I've skinned three of the four quarters, and they all have some big checks coming in from either end. Don't know if I'm going to be able to get a flatbow out of these staves. What about an ELB? Does that design work with osage? Might be the best I can do.
Osage makes an awesome narrow ELB.
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The checks are old damage, they aren't growing (these staves were in my friend's shed for 20 years; I think they got wet somewhere in that time but it wasn't recently). The checks come in at least a foot or two from the both ends, so they're definitely going to affect what I can do with them. I think I have one or two pieces that might make flatbows; I'll keep you posted. It's slow work.
The stave I'm currently chasing a ring on, the least promising, is only going to be an inch wide, maybe just a touch less. So if it makes a bow at all, it'll have to be an ELB. Any tips on that style with Osage?