Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: osage outlaw on July 26, 2011, 01:09:47 am
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I found this tree blown over a couple of years ago. I have been planning my attack ever since then. I made up my mind that this would be the year I harvest it. I knew that it would be an extreme amount of work to get it out, but I knew it would be worth it. I just couldn't leave this tree to rot in the woods, it was too good for that. Two weeks ago, I spent half a day just cutting a trail down the hill to the tree. My brother-in-law has a quad and he owes me a good days work, so I talked him into helping. He is a lot more experienced cutting trees than I am. This is the first time he has seen it. It was a little bigger than he expected ;D
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC13990.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC13992.jpg)
We didn't waste any time getting started. He fired up Ole Smokey and started cutting. I grabbed my little homelite and started on the opposite side.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC13993.jpg)
It took quite a lot of cutting, but we finally got it free from the base. It was at that point that my brother-in-law decided to go break out his brand new saw. Ole Smokey sounded like it was running under water and wasn't cutting too good. The tree has some natural splits to it. The center of it is actually dead. At the last cut, it has about a 3" hollow circle right in the center. That is fine with me. It will make it easier to split. Instead of having 24" of tree to split, I will only have 12" to the center.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC13994.jpg)
I thought it would have decent rings since it is at the bottom of a steep hill and right next to a creek bed. I wasn't dissapointed ;D
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC13996.jpg)
I was able to mark out 3 80" sections before the first major limb.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14002.jpg)
We got my saw stuck trying to get it apart on the uphill side. We had it cut almost all the way through, it was just wedged together. I climbed up and got a good grip on the snapped off tree next to it and started jumping. That worked! I was left safely dangling from the broken tree. I wish we had a picture of that. For a short round guy, I'm pretty nimble.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14003.jpg)
After that, we had it down where we could work on it a little easier. A few cuts later and we had it whipped.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14004.jpg)
My Dad came out to check on us just as we were done with the hard work. He was able to get a picture of both of us with the logs.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14006.jpg)
It was starting to get dark down in the valley so we decided to call it a day. I tried to seal the ends as good as I could with some polyurethane.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14012.jpg)
We loaded everything up and headed back up the hill.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14013.jpg)
Back up at the landing zone. No wood yet, but it won't be long.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14014.jpg)
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Cool post. Be sure to fill us in with Day-2! Hell, I'd love to have the tree top you left hanging up there. Looks like a few bows in that section, as well!
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There is at least one more 80" section left hanging. It nocked over a few trees as it fell and its a big tangled mess so its hard to see how far up it goes. Plus, the top part is on the property line and the neighbor is real funny about what he allows over there. I will for sure get at least the one piece.
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That's a heck of a project, Clint. Especially in the heat everyone has been having lately. You should be set for life with staves, that's for sure. 8)
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wow thats some work. i cant wait to see how many staves you get out of that!
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I'm curious about the stave count too.
And Pat, in case you didn't notice, I had just a little sweat going on ;) I think I got a little dehydrated. Right now the back of my right thigh is cramped up so bad I can't get up out of the chair.
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HOLY COW,that is going to be one heck of a stave pile...i cant wait to see how many staves you get...keep a count for us...what a great find..thanks for sharing...john
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Awe inspiring Osage Tree Outlaw!!!
I'm with you in your feelings in not letting her go to waste.
Have a feeling the Bow spirits along with the spirit of the tree will be smiling down on you in your noble undertaking... ;)
-gus
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That's some haul...
Impressive bit of work getting that big boy cut up.
De
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Shhh . . . hear that? It's the sound of me seething with envy. ;)
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No that's a nice tree. Should get a lot of bows from that. :) Still a lot of work left
for sure,you got the easy part done. ;) :) :)
Pappy
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Wow!!!!!!! :'( the bow wood gods bestowed a gift to you, that is a beautiful sight. The other side may be there come time to split >:D can't weight to hear the stave count!!!
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I guess that will keep you busy for a while :laugh:
Congratulations from an envious swede!
/Mikael
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We should have a let's guess how many pieces of candy are in the candy jar contest/poll. And the winner gets a stave Clint. Seeing how it looks like you could spare one >:D
My guess is ...well...I don't even really know. Ill say 48 if you take the fourth piece and including the piggy back staves too.
I think that tree was its own demise being so big n tall making it top heavy and unstable. Wow. That's the mother of all mother Osage trees. That's def worth the effort to haul out.
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Be watching for limbs about 50" to 60". Those are my FAVORITE pieces to make hunting bows. You should have a nice pile when you are done ;D
Jon W.
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Thats a heck of a tree the pic with both of you in it looks like some of the old logging pics I've seen from the early 1900s. Ron
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You know how to eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Tons a work, but the reward will be sweet!
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I can't even think of how many belly splits your gonna get. I would actually be happy that it's already started to split it's self!
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That hurts me just to think about. Every big old osage tree I've ever cut has been dead on the inside. Whether you get belly splits will depend on what the weather and ants have done there. Wonderful tree for bow wood though, you've chosen well. Getting it split small enough to get up out of that ditch is gonna be a lot of work. Be careful working so hard in this heat. Congratulations.
George
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Dang Clint! Who says this stuff is easy? You are thee man for tackling that monster.
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Lord God Almighty, what a find. if i knew where you lived, that would be worth the trip to see and even to help out. You definitely have been living right in terms of bowmaking. i am even proud to have seen the picture you posted. good luck to you.
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Oh my I was just sweating looking at the pictures....that is a monster. Glad you didn't get hurt on that steep hill. Should have wood for a long time now the fun of splitting and removing bark and sapwood. Whew
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I'm up for a guess the stave count contest. Does everyone want to guess now? If we have a tie, I will draw a name out of a hat or something. I will mail the winner a stave. I might let it dry out a little first to save $ on shipping.
The trees size is what took it over. The ground is very loose in the woods around here. All of the roots are intact on it, they just pulled out of the ground It was still living, it had some second growth sprouts coming off of it. Most of our osage trees around here slowly fall over once they get to big. It seems the trunks get so heavy the roots can't support it.
Now the fun of splitting it starts. I don't think it will be too bad. I am hoping to quarter each section up and pull them out with his quad. I should get a lot of belly splits. The dead center is still 10-12" deep. Day 2 will have to wait for Friday. Working 12 hour nights with an hour drive each way doesn't leave much time for anything else.
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"Now the fun of splitting it starts. I don't think it will be too bad."
>:D >:D >:D Ya, you'll have lots of fun. :laugh:
"Working 12 hour nights with an hour drive each way doesn't leave much time for anything else."
And taking down big osage trees in your spare time? Your a machine man.
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I can't wait to go back to work so I can rest for a couple of days. Before starting on the osage tree yesterday, I spent 3 hours walking a river bank looking for some knappable stone. This primitive stuff is hard work ;D
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my guess is 39 staves :)
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I'm gonna say 43 I know sometingh you don't.
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I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say 50. Can't wait to see how it goes! Good luck and drink lots of water. ;)
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Some of my plans got cancelled today and I had a little free time. I could either take a nap before going in to work tonight or start spitting. Guess which one I chose ;D
No help and no quad today, just me and my splitting tools. I started on the biggest piece. It was leaning upright on the creek bank. I got it almost split in half and then I got the bright idea to push it over into the creek bed so I could get to the other side to finish it up. Of course it landed wrong and I couldn't get to where I needed on it. I moved on to the next section. I started driving the wedge into it the mighty beast and it spit it back out at me. It shot up at least 2'. I caught it in mid air and shoved it back into the log and tried again. This time it started to split. Once it started, it went almost to the other end. I put one more wedge into it and popped it the rest of the way.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14015.jpg)
I started back up at the top and put the wedge into a natural split. My plan is to wedge out pieces just like cutting a slice of pie. The dead center is really helping. A short time later and I had the first chunk out. And then another. I drank the last of my 2 liters of water and started splitting again. Except while I was taking my water break my hammer somehow gained 5 lbs and become hard to swing. I completely ran out of steam. After an hour and a half, this is what I got done. It doesn't look like much, but it is a good start. I am glad to see that there is no insect damage and almost no twist at all in it.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14017.jpg)
So far this is what I have for the stave count guessing contest:
SA - 39
Cracker - 43
Blackhawk - 48
Will H - 50
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Never busted a Osage log that big.
Busted an 18" Osage log a few years back. About worked me and Cowboy to death.
Our log did not bust as clean as yours is busting. Man that looks good.
Seal the ends of the splits very soon arter they are busted out.
I am going to guess 65 staves from the three logs that you have cut now.
Keep sweating you will get it done.
David
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I'm going much more conservative and thinking you are going with 32....and I think that may be high. I've split some monsters (not that big), and know I end up leaving the staves really wide because I'm tired of dealing with it.....are we talking about the 3 logs or the whole tree?
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I say 38 staves.
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I just split about a 10 incher last night and that was enough for me. :P
Nice find you got there and best to you when splitting it....you look younger than me!! ;D
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70 good staves is my guess if you belly split too.
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I hope you get 80 but if you get more than 20 you did OK !
I don't know how persistant you are so who knows?
I don't want to see ya die trying so take it easy !!
Maybe I can talk ya out of some when your all done!
Guy
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I'll guess 45. Like everyone else said take care with the heat, and enjoy working that wood! Should be years worth of osage for you to work with.
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i am going to say 42.just a wild guess.if i win,there will be no shipping.i'll come and get it.i wish i would have know you were doing this.i would have drove over and lent a hand.i'm laid off right now,all i have is time.be careful and have fun Clint.
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72 good staves with determination and careful planning.
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Man thats allot of work! Looks like some great staves! I would have to say out of the three logs you have cut there you will get around 47would be my guess ;D Good luck! Wish I lived closer looks like fun ;D
Josh
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OMG!
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53 staves
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For the official stave count guessing contest, I have those 3 sections plus one more that is about 12-14" diameter. The count will be from those 4 sections. If I get any more, I will keep them seperate. So, if anybody wants to change your count, let me know. And, it will take me a while to get these all out and split so be patient. Also, I'm going on vacation next week so I will have a break in the updates. I am going to try my best to at least get the 3 big ones split and hauled out before I leave.
Here is what I have so far.
SA - 39
Cracker - 43
Blackhawk - 48
Will H - 50
Ridgerunner - 65
Hobow - 36
beetlebailey1977 - 38
Stringstretcher - 70
Strongbow - 45
Seabass - 42
MWirwicki - 72
Elktracker - 47
Medic336 - 53
Ryoon4690 - 60
M-P - 44
Jham - 49
Soy - 55
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That sure is a great looking tree. I'd like to see pics of how the rings look all the way up. I'll guess you'll get 60 out of that. ;D
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Next time I work on it, I will get a pic of the rings. I think they are good all the way up so far.
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I'll put my guess in too. I've never harvested a tree this large, so it's based on a real wild guess ( and the numbers everyone else is supplying.) 44
In my opinion harvesting 6-8" trees is a lot of work. And, that goes double in the heat. I can only imagine what it takes to work with such large trunks. I admire your energy. Ron
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This is a WAG as I have no experiance splitting osage but im going to say about 49.
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Im going with just enough to keep you busy for a long time >:D for a #depends on how they break apart, or maby when you do,lol.my guess is the old double nickel 55!
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Hay Outlaw:
Get yourself some insect spray. I use liquid (Seven) (sp) and a garden sprayer.
Soak the bark down real good with the spray. It will do wonders to keep the bore worms out of it. When you get it home soak the bark at least two more times before you put it up to dry.
David
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Im guessing 62 staves, but I know for sure you are going to earn every single one.
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58 is my guess....what a find and what a memorable project. Very cool! Man that stuff is STRAIGHT!!
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Thats alot of work. But alot of bows. GOOD LUCK
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Lovely lot of wood you got there! Should keep you busy for the rest of your life!! hehehe
I'll shoot high and guess 80 staves from the four logs you've mentioned.
:)
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Hey guys I figured out were doing this all wrong if we all guess the same number it'll be like a 50 way tie and he'll have to send each of us a stave. >:D
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The math says over eighty.
But I will go with 77.
Was one of my football numbers in highschool. :)
-gus
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You'll never have to harvest another tree again after that one (but what fun would that be?).
Just my wild guess... 75
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Wow, im pretty sure that tree isn big enough to wear out your hammer. 73 for me...and every other number not taken 8).
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very nice find 59 staves
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looking at some of the pics you might not get as many belly splits as first thought...so I am going with.....69...oh yeah!!!..gut
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I might go back and split on it for a little while when I wake up tomorrow afternoon before my sons baseball game. But it is supposed to be 96 degrees, so it might have to wait for Friday morning. I will be sure to spray it with bug spray, but I haven't had much trouble with borers getting in my osage. The only tree that I have seen damaged was one that layed on the forest floor for quite a few years. The bark had all fallen off and the borers only went a few rings down. I still got quite a few staves from that one.
For the official stave count guessing contest, I have those 3 sections plus one more that is about 12-14" diameter. The count will be from those 4 sections. If I get any more, I will keep them seperate.
Here is what I have so far.
SA - 39
Cracker - 43
Blackhawk - 48
Will H - 50
Ridgerunner - 65
Hobow - 36
beetlebailey1977 - 38
Stringstretcher - 70
Strongbow - 45
Seabass - 42
MWirwicki - 72
Elktracker - 47
Medic336 - 53
Ryoon4690 - 60
M-P - 44
Jham - 49
Soy - 55
Justin Snyder - 62
Lee Slikkers - 58
Hatcha - 80
Gus - 77
Matt S - 75
Triggerfinger - 73
Bow Nut - 59
Gutpile - 69
Toomanyknots - 90
Justin Snyder - 62
Weylin - 34
Rainman - 56
Fencepost - 40
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Oh man what a tree! Fine bow wood for a lifetime (or two :) ) Congrats!
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My guess is about 90. (I figure your a pretty thrifty man about getting the most out of your bow wood, :) )
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In stead of guessing how many staves, we should be guessing how many days to split it. My guess is still 62. 8)
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You underestimate my splitting skills ;D Once I get it to flat ground, it's on! And with how straight this is, It should split like butter. I actually like splitting osage. It's the bark and sapwood removal that I hate.
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"I actually like splitting osage. It's the bark and sapwood removal that I hate."
Thats why I only harvest when the bark il peel right off, N just seal the sapwood, to remove it when I am good and ready to make a bow. I honestly think your gonna get around 90 staves with you having 3 sections, and the first one being 2 foot diameter or so. And I would think that it would mostly be belly splits? Probably like two belly splits each piece if the wood is good and splits straight, at least with the first and biggest section I would figure. Course you could probably get more than that, but there is always the chance of warping from it being too small. The osage I get seems like it don't has a big problem with warping or twisting while drying. But it's always better to be safe ya know.
"I actually like splitting osage."
I do too, as long as it's about 12 times smaller than the one your doing here! LOL Big osage logs can be hell to split for me, ill pass. :laugh: But smaller ones, 12" diameter or somethin, can be pretty fast compared to elm or even hackberry, seems in part to the heart wood being a big brittle compared to white woods I think...
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I'm gonna guess 34. 8)
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That is a beautiful osage tree man. That is gonna be a lot of work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Wicked harvest. Try and smile through the pain during the photos. ;D Shouldn't be difficult with that score.
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Really nice tree. I will guess 56.
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I will guess 56
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nice tree, 40 staves is a good guess. large osage trees are hard to find around here good luck
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Not trying to play favorites, but I hope Toomanyknots is right ;D 90 staves would last me a looooong time. At 5 bows a year, that would be 18 years. But I have a feeling I won't be keeping all of it. I will import some of it to Tenn. next year. Probably sometime around late may ;)
I'm dying to get back out there and work on it some more. I hope the heat holds off some today.
For the official stave count guessing contest, I have those 3 sections plus one more that is about 12-14" diameter. The count will be from those 4 sections. If I get any more, I will keep them seperate.
Here is the updated list.
SA - 39
Cracker - 43
Blackhawk - 48
Will H - 50
Ridgerunner - 65
Hobow - 36
beetlebailey1977 - 38
Stringstretcher - 70
Strongbow - 45
Seabass - 42
MWirwicki - 72
Elktracker - 47
Medic336 - 53
Ryoon4690 - 60
M-P - 44
Jham - 49
Soy - 55
Justin Snyder - 62
Lee Slikkers - 58
Hatcha - 80
Gus - 77
Matt S - 75
Triggerfinger - 73
Bow Nut - 59
Gutpile - 69
Toomanyknots - 90
Justin Snyder - 62
Weylin - 34
Rainman - 56
Fencepost - 40
Randman - 71
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No one's taken 71 and that's a good number for me so 71 is mine!
What a tree! Not knowing much about osage myself, is that thing some kind of record or do they
get any bigger than that?
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I'd guess 68 staves.
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I'll go out on a limb and say 85.
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I'll go out on a limb and say 85.
No limbs allowed Mullet, he's only counting the 4 trunk sections >:D
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wow, thats some mother of the osage. she will provide well for you many years to come. put me down for 52 staves. be safe out there in the woods. and enjoy your vacation.
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Well, I didn't think I would be able to stand working in 96 degrees this afternoon. So, I skipped out from work a few minutes early and instead of going to sleep, I headed for the woods ;D I was by myself again today. But that is usually the way I like to do things if I can. I started on the middle section again. The first two chunks came of pretty easily. I brought a crowbar to help pry the chunks off of the log. That really worked well except somehow I slipped and fell sideways in the creek bed. Luckily some sharp rocks broke my fall. I am splitting them into pieces about this size so they will be easy to pull out.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14018.jpg)
It didn't take long to finish splitting the middle section. This is what it turned into.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14020.jpg)
Then I got started on the 3rd section. I had a very hard time getting the first piece out, but once I did, the rest weren't to bad. I had only planned on staying out 1 1/2 - 2 hours, but once I got started, I didn't want to stop until I had the other section split. I ended up working for 3 hours, but I got it done. The flys were driving me nuts, and a horsefly kept attacking me. I think I sweated off my bug spray. This is what I have from the two sections. It took me 4.5 hours to split them.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14024.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14025.jpg)
Now, I need to pull them up the hill. Once I get them out, I can start splitting the biggest chunk.
Here is what the rings look like on the remaining trunk. They are thinner on one side, but still very nice on most of it.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14026.jpg)
I tried looking to see how much more I will be able to cut, but it is a tangled mess and I didn't feel like climbing back there. I am hoping to at least get 2 more sections.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14028.jpg)
Hopefully I can either get some help tomorrow morning, or at least borrow his quad so I can pull them out. Right now I am pooped out. I think I will lay down for a few hours. I can't sleep to long, my son has a baseball game today at 6:00
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Beautiful wood you got there. I would think at least 3 staves from that piece your holding. Put me down for 68 bows.
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Man you are an animal! :o
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Osage Outlaw
That is one heck of a osage tree. I have tackled a-lot of them in my life time but nothing with as many good sections on one tree. I have found out that if I let some of my quarters alone for a month or 2 my belly splits will follow the growth rings a little better when you start splitting. I have several big quarters like you have that have been split for 4 months. I will go for the belly splits on them when it ever cools off. Remember to spray them down with insecticide if you leave them in quarters for a while. Nice haul. Dean
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Nice looking osage.I'll try 74 don't believe anyone as taken that #.Take care in that heat don't let it get the better of you.
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I hope your falling on your knees due to the blessing the good lord has just given you and not from the exhaustion and effort to get that all done. That's more than I first thought. Good lord.
And welcome to primitive archer Turkey522
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WOW that looks like fun >:D
I've never worked w/ osage, being that I live in FL, heck I've never seen one in real life, soo....
hmmm... put me down for 87 8)
--Mark R.
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For some reason, I woke up after 3 hours >:( I feel like I have been run over by a truck. But I'm glad I worked on it this morning. It is 99 degrees outside. I am really going to enjoy my vacation next week.
I forgot to mention that for the contest, if anyone outside of the lower 48 states wins, you are going to have to cover shipping. Heck, depending on how much the wife spends next week, the winner might have to cover it either way ;D
For the official stave count guessing contest, I have those 3 sections plus one more that is about 12-14" diameter. The count will be from those 4 sections. If I get any more, I will keep them seperate.
Here is the updated list.
SA - 39
Cracker - 43
Blackhawk - 48
Will H - 50
Ridgerunner - 65
Hobow - 36
beetlebailey1977 - 38
Stringstretcher - 70
Strongbow - 45
Seabass - 42
MWirwicki - 72
Elktracker - 47
Medic336 - 53
Ryoon4690 - 60
M-P - 44
Jham - 49
Soy - 55
Justin Snyder - 62
Lee Slikkers - 58
Hatcha - 80
Gus - 77
Matt S - 75
Triggerfinger - 73
Bow Nut - 59
Gutpile - 69
Toomanyknots - 90
Justin Snyder - 62
Weylin - 34
Rainman - 56
Fencepost - 40
Randman - 71
Stingray45 - 68
Mullet - 85
Sadie Jane - 52
Jpitts - 68
Tukey522 - 74
Marz5 - 87
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Man , that is some find you have there ! That tangle patch in upper hunk dont look like it will be fun though ! I'll guess you'll get 63 out of the first 4 sections ;D
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What a find! Any idea what the dark colored wood is? Is it usable?
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We have wood on the landing ;D My brother-in-law wanted to start pulling them out tonight to get a head start on tomorrow. We got 11 splits up to the field and left 4 down in the valley. It was hard work getting the splits out of the creek bed. The bank is 10' high and at a 45 degree angle. Tomorrow the game plan is to split the last section and pull everything out. Then I can take a break.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14035.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14036.jpg)
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Wow I am impressed. that is going to be one heck of a hall. I'm still drooling over that very nice stave you gave me at the Classic. I just found this and have to say it's a coll idea to do the guessing game but I'm thinking by the diam of them logs you guys are all under guessing so my guess is going to be 114 total
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What a slacker! :D :D How can you even think of resting until after the ends are all sealed and the bark bug sprayed? Ron
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Man what a find, from the looks of it you might wear out several draw knives on that stack.
By the way what state are you in?
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I didn't realise 68 was already taken. Make mine 69 then ::)
What you need is an ol pulpwood truck with a winch boom. Then you could wrap the cable round them boys and drag-em outta there.
Ya'll be careful in that heat.
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depending on how there split i say 92...any way you do it its a BUTT LOAD...i wonder what is the biggest haul of staves from one tree...john
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I live in Indiana. I already sealed the ends once. After I get them all out, I will seal them again and put some bug spray on them. The black areas on the pieces are the natural splits of the tree. The very core was dead and hollow. The brown is only skin deep. I can take a hatchet and scratch it off revealing a nice yellow color.
Keenan, I can't wait to see what you are able to make from that stave. And I am drooling over the piece of yew that you gave me. It was nice to meet you. I wish we could have had more time to talk bows.
I am headed back out to work on it now before the heat gets to bad.
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I headed out at 7:30 this morning and started splitting the biggest section. It had a small limb coming off of it and that made it a little harder to split around, but I got it. I split it into 9 pieces. I was able to get 7 of them out of the creek by myself but I just couldn't get the last two.
All of this is from the base section.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14040.jpg)
I used the quad to start pulling them to the field. I was just about done when my Dad and brother-in-law came to help me. We got the last two splits out of the creek and up to the field. I am shot. My back is aching, my legs are sore, and I strained my left bicep. Luckily it isn't my hammer swinging arm ;D Now I can rest for a couple of hours before heading to work tonight. My Dad and brother-in-law said that they might load them up tonight and get them under a roof and out of the sun.
The landing zone
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14042.jpg)
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Man your crazy!!!! Awesome hall!!!! Man I wish I could get my hands on some of that stuff...
Please put me down for 82 for the stave count....
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Hey Clint, you are an animal, put me down for 81. Hows your Dad doing?
VB
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He is doing good. Thanks for asking. He sure did love the knives. Thanks again. I think he is enjoying his retirement. I just called him and he moved all of the splits for me. He put them under a roof and its just in time. We have rain heading our way.
Here is the updated list.
For the official stave count guessing contest, I have those 3 sections plus one more that is about 12-14" diameter. The count will be from those 4 sections. If I get any more, I will keep them seperate.
SA - 39
Cracker - 43
Blackhawk - 48
Will H - 50
Ridgerunner - 65
Hobow - 36
beetlebailey1977 - 38
Stringstretcher - 70
Strongbow - 45
Seabass - 42
MWirwicki - 72
Elktracker - 47
Medic336 - 53
Ryoon4690 - 60
M-P - 44
Jham - 49
Soy - 55
Justin Snyder - 62
Lee Slikkers - 58
Hatcha - 80
Gus - 77
Matt S - 75
Triggerfinger - 73
Bow Nut - 59
Gutpile - 69
Toomanyknots - 90
Justin Snyder - 62
Weylin - 34
Rainman - 56
Fencepost - 40
Randman - 71
Stingray45 - 68
Mullet - 85
Sadie Jane - 52
Jpitts - 69
Tukey522 - 74
Marz5 - 87
Frankg - 63
Keenan - 114
Blacktail - 92
Ifrit617 - 82
Venisonburger - 81
Sidewinder - 88
Mikekeswick - 85
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Clint, I just stumbled upon your post here. Great find man. I had one four years ago . that was almost that big. It was a bear. I suppose I'll throw my hat in the ring on the guessing contest. Put me down for 88. It also matters what we consider a bow stave. Some of mine were primo, some were pretty good and some are still waiting for me to get bored with working with good staves ( they might be waiting a while). . I made some bows with them, traded, sold and gave away a bunch. I do remember it was over 60. It had three lengths about 6ft and I think it was 16" at the base. No interior rot. I only have one stave left out of the "matriarch" ( thats what I called it). I started on that bow this week. Will post when its finished. Once again congrtats, its too bad I don't live close cuz I would come over and we could have a debarking party. Thats where the real work begins. Sometimes hard to get help on that part of the equation. Danny
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After what I have had to do to get that thing split and up the hill, sitting on my bench in front of a big fan with a drawknife doesn't sound half bad.
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Should of had a contest to see how many swear words it takes you to get em all split out into staves. If I would guess, I would say,... hmmm,...., somewhere around half the number of blisters you got, divided by the loudness of the splitting painful pounding of the hammer echoing in your brain when you try to sleep, multiplied exactly twice by the cost of the poly it takes to seal close to 100 staves. :)
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that is going to be some work getting all the bark off....SO,to fix the trouble you need a fan,radio,and one of keenans stave masters with cup holder...john
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Swear words - 0
Blisters - 2
Cost of poly - $11 (two reduced price dented cans from lowes)
I have a huge fan and a good radio, but my drawknifing bench is a big pile of poop compared to the stavemaster.
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;D ;D ;D
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After working a double (24 hours) yesterday, I woke up today and found all of the wood safely tucked away under a roof at my Dad's garage. I sealed the ends again and soaked the pile with some bug spray. I grabbed two chunks from the pile and I'm going to start working them into staves this afternoon.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14043.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14044.jpg)
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Bet you had a big ol grin lookin at that stack ! ;D
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OK, it looks like everyone is done guessing so I think we should lock them in. It doesn't look good for the people with the low numbers. I split the two chunks and ended up with 8 staves.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14047.jpg)
Here is my poor little shaving bench.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14046.jpg)
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well i dont know what you will end up with but i look forward to seeing what you make from it .
enjoy the build !
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Well maby u will have to double my # man what a nice problem to have, lot of work but congratulations and enjoy the fruits of your labor ;)
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Clint I like your style. Your processin those babies like they deserve. Should be quite a stack of "lovlies" as Dean Torges puts it. There are many bows in that there pile. Watchin and waitin and quiverin with anticipation. Danny
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man you really are the osage outlaw :) i new should have guessed higher. nice lookin staves thats as much as i have in my stash right now.
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What to say? I'm only a little jealous....
I bought some osage seeds a few months ago because osage is definately one of my favourite woods, i've got 2 'saplings' about 4 inches high now...only another 10 years till I can work them!
If it's not too late my guess is 85
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Mike,
I know you're just dreaming at this stage, but down here a 10 year old osage sapling will only be an inch or two in diameter. I planted a row of osage seedlings in Nebraska when we moved there in 95 (the extension office gave them away) with the same plan you had. When we left 12 years later about 6 of the 25 were still alive, only a couple were taller than I am and nothing was over 2" in diameter. If I'd been diligent about killing the grass around them and kept them watered it'd have gone faster I'd think. 8 rings/inch is a pretty nice piece of osage down here and I have several that are more like 15/inch. Only once have I seen quarter inch thick osage rings. A large diameter tree is very old, which makes OO's find really special.
I like that you planted some osage, just want to caution about how fast they'll be bow-ready.
George
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Outlaw:
I sure hate to slow you down and make more work for you but you need to seal the BELLY side of any of those staves that have a belly more than 1" wide.
Green Osage staves will split from the belly side nearly as fast as thay will from the back side.
David
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Nice looking staves you split out there! Will you be doing any tradeing on any of those? ;D
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;D ;D Them are lookin goooood. When you take into account all those belly splits on something that big the numbers can double up real fast. You real do have a gold mine there. Lots of work but should pay off with huge rewards. Also the belly splits don't have to be debarked. so you are ahead of the game
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Mike,
I know you're just dreaming at this stage, but down here a 10 year old osage sapling will only be an inch or two in diameter. I planted a row of osage seedlings in Nebraska when we moved there in 95 (the extension office gave them away) with the same plan you had. When we left 12 years later about 6 of the 25 were still alive, only a couple were taller than I am and nothing was over 2" in diameter. If I'd been diligent about killing the grass around them and kept them watered it'd have gone faster I'd think. 8 rings/inch is a pretty nice piece of osage down here and I have several that are more like 15/inch. Only once have I seen quarter inch thick osage rings. A large diameter tree is very old, which makes OO's find really special.
I like that you planted some osage, just want to caution about how fast they'll be bow-ready.
George
Thanks for the info, well maybe make that 30 years then!
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Elktracker, yes ;D
Ridgerunner, thanks for the info on sealing the bellies. I have never had that happen before, but I don't want to take the chance of messing these up so I will start sealing them.
Since the contest is closed, I will guess. I'm going to say 125.
I have my toes in the sand right now for some much needed R&R 8), but as soon as I get home, its back to osage processing.
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Since the contest is closed, I will guess. I'm going to say 125.
Wow,that's a lot. You wood know better than anyone else,and even if you over guess by 25 that's still A LOT. Can't wait for the total outcome.
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Holy cow, if you get 125 you're either a heck of a lot better at splitting osage than I am, or you're a heck of a lot luckier at avoiding belly damage. I hope you get them, don't get me wrong. Also, if I split them out that green, some would be pretzels before they were seasoned. That looks like extraordinary wood, I'm pulling for you to have to have good luck with the staves staying straight. I personally would remove the bark and leave some in quarters, though some of that is likely because I'm lazy. ;) I've had staves from seasoned quarters split out crooked as well. Some times I think the wood has an agenda all its own. ::)
George
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What is the count now?
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Still the same. I just got back from Florida last night. I've had my toes in the sand for the last week 8)
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I can see how you probably needed a rest after getting that tree out of the creek.
You are home now so back to work. ;D
David
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Along with the final tally on staves, I'd like to know how many man-hours go into this project.
Makes you understand there is no such thing as a "free stave"!
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I have about 18 hours invested so far. That's not counting the time my brother-in-law and Dad put in.
I started back working on them this evening, but I only got one belly split off when I noticed a small geyser in the front yard. An 1.5" water line busted. I had to quit and get my shower before they had to shut off our water to fix the line. I should get some more splitting done on it tomorrow.
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Outlaw,
Looking at your photos, looks like this tree was over a hundred years old when it fell.
I'm getting between eighty five and ninety five on the summer wood count.
And that's not even considering the heart wood that has gone with age.
For curiosity's sake...
:)
-gus
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dang what a nice lookin batch. wish i would have checked out this post earlier for a chance at one lol.
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Man, those last pictures are amazing. Can't wait to see you at the Classic ;D.
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I finally got back to work on it today. I have had to deal with some family problems lately and wasn't able to even think about splitting osage logs. But things seemed to have settled down so I am back at it.
I grabbed another chunck and layed out where I wanted to split it.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14296.jpg)
I popped the first belly piece off with no problem. Getting the middle section was a little bit harder, but not to bad.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14298.jpg)
I split the bottom section into 3 pieces, which brings the total up to 17. I have been sealing the bellies and backs of each stave with poly. I should get some more done on it this weekend. I still need to get the last section out of the woods.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14299.jpg)
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Nice! You know my address Clint, get some sent this way pal!
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How many for an even trade on that new bandsaw >:D
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:o those are going to be some nice staves,88 for count
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Everytime I see this I am Soo jealous! Pretty impressive tree and effort! If ya get burned out on osage ill take some off your hands. ;)
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Impressive in the extreme. I salute your dedication and hard work.
PD
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Update:
32 staves peeled and sealed, plus a few billets.
I have split 9 of the chunks up into staves. There are still 14 chunks left to split and one more section of the tree to get out of the valley. Removing nearly a half inch of sapwood is not fun >:(. The belly splits are nice though ;D
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You are the Man! Incredible GOLD mine. LOL
I'm feeling much better about my estimate. ;D
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You should make those staves a little wider. Make sure you come in around 68 total. ;D
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insane. to think how much it is just to ship one of those damn sticks up to Canada...
great find man, and good for you to do the work required.... and lucky you had some help!
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That is getting the most out of every last bit.good for you! Sorry I insulated you with such a low guess ;D
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Man, if your sealing with that much poly over and over, ya better be wearing a mask. Them solvents like naphtha are carcinogenic as heck.
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Those splits are beee-utes! Jeeez, you couldn't get any straighter, especially for osage. Great, rare find!
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Good point about the fumes. I wonder why you are sealing the bellies? The belly wood on a good thick 2x2 like you are making is the #1 escape route for moisture during the drying process. If you seal the back, the ends, and the belly, then where's the water gonna go?
That aside, i am as envious as possible about your osage haul. Awesome.
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Some one a few pages back suggested sealing the bellies to prevent them from checking. I have been lightly sealing them all. I think the sealer is to slow down the moisture loss, not stop it completely. I have been doing it outside and inside my garage with all the doors and windows open so there is a constant flow of air through it. I'm halfway through my 3rd can of polyurethane. I need someone at Lowes to smash some more cans so I can get them cheaper ;)
All of this splitting and drawknifing is sure helping the guns ;D
Total is up to 38 staves.
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By time yer done you'll have Popeye arms ;D ;D
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I've never sealed an osage stave's belly. The only belly cracks I've ever had to deal with came in from the stave ends, down from the back or were weather checks from damage to the tree. I think you could save some time and money just spraying the backs and ends. I've been using shellac lately which I found in spray cans at Lowes as a sealer. I like it much better than poly, I've had staves crack through poly on the back.
George
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It would cost me a furtune to use the spray cans. I have been using a brush to put a couple of super thick layers of poly on the backs. I would prefer to use shellac, but I have been able to get the poly cheaper. It doesn't get quite as hot and dry here as it does down where your at George. Hopefully they won't crack on me.
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I've never sealed the bellys on osage, or any wood for that matter. I would rather it check on the belly than any other place on it. I have had osage bellys check, but never anything that ever effected the bow I was making after reducing it down some. I thought you wanted the moisture to go out threw the belly. I think whats most important is to store the staves in a nice cool place for the first 4 months.
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Some of the staves are splitting with the growth rings very nicely. They are very flat and smooth on the bellies. I could see them splitting very easy there. I'm just doing all I can to make sure all of my work doesn't "check" away. I am going to keep the staves in my little insulated workshop until at least next spring.
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Update:
32 staves peeled and sealed, plus a few billets.
I have split 9 of the chunks up into staves. There are still 14 chunks left to split
With those figures, you're heading towards 81.77777 staves...(not counting billets) Sooooo close to my guess!!!
and one more section of the tree to get out of the valley.
You couldn't just "leave it where it is" and focus on trimming the 81.77777 back down to 80 could you? ;);) ;D
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Between work, soccer games, and trying to get ready for bow season to open, I haven't had a lot of time to work on the osage tree. But, I find a little time here and there. I am up to 56 staves including a couple with some character. I also have 6 smaller staves in the 4' range that I am not counting. If the rain holds off, I hope to get the last section out of the woods Monday.
I'm running out of room to put them.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14335.jpg)
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Come on 13 more......
If you run out of room, let me know and I'll PM you my address. >:D
~Barry
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I can make some room if you need it !
Guy
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Yes Sir,
They are looking Very Pretty.
Good Hunting!
-gus
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Soccer! You play soccer ;D
Those were the days, about 20 years ago I used to play in goal for our work's team in a Sunday league... that's where I got the name Del the Cat.
What position do you play?
Oh and I'm sure we can find some room in the UK for some of those staves... I know the UK is small, but I expect we can fitsome in.
Del
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One part of me wants to say, "Okay - Just 16 more to reach my guess of 72." The other part of me wants to cheer you on to 100+
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Soccer! You play soccer ;D
Those were the days, about 20 years ago I used to play in goal for our work's team in a Sunday league... that's where I got the name Del the Cat.
What position do you play?
Oh and I'm sure we can find some room in the UK for some of those staves... I know the UK is small, but I expect we can fitsome in.
Del
I don't play, my daughter does. I sit on the sidelines in a bag chair and watch. I'm shaped more like a soccer ball than a soccer player :-[
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One part of me wants to say, "Okay - Just 16 more to reach my guess of 72." The other part of me wants to cheer you on to 100+
Bad news for the 16 more part, I still got a lot more to go.
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Kinda figured....... :(
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That is one sweet pile, you may need to put an addition on the house ;D
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I too would gladly take a stave off your hands... ;D not much Osage in my parts... :(
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i will repeat what everyone else said, ill take some off your hands if you need it ;D
noel
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IF that were me in OO's place, it would sometime about now that I would discover that this particular osage tree was incredibly poorly suited for making bows!
Still just blows my mind. Showed this thread to the guy that taught me to build bows, his work is gorgeous. His poor jaw dropped and he was flustered. It was then he told me in all his years of building bows he had not made more than 20 of them total, and almost half were white woods! He likes the look of that pile as much as I do.
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well i wish i was there to help you..but it might cost you a stave.. ;D...john
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man that 's just cool, you are gonna be busy for some time :) may even make some new friends . but half the fun is lookin for bow wood you might need to donate some ::)
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Awesome find! Looks like plenty of work so far. I'm curious to know the final count.
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:o I'm salivating over here at the sight of all those staves. I have got to get back to the woods and soon.
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Today I went back to the woods and got the last section of the tree out. It went pretty smooth. My little chainsaw struggled, but got the job done. The rings are still great for most of it.
The bright yellow pieces are what I got out today. The darker ones are what I have left from the first 3 sections. A couple more months of drawknifing and I'll be done.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14337.jpg)
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Man you are one lucky dog! I start slobbering everytime I see this post pop back to the top. :o ::)
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The names in green are still in. Sorry to the rest of you guys.
SA - 39
Cracker - 43
Blackhawk - 48
Will H - 50
Ridgerunner - 65
Hobow - 36
beetlebailey1977 - 38
Stringstretcher - 70
Strongbow - 45
Seabass - 42
MWirwicki - 72
Elktracker - 47
Medic336 - 53
Ryoon4690 - 60
M-P - 44
Jham - 49
Soy - 55
Justin Snyder - 62
Lee Slikkers - 58
Hatcha - 80
Gus - 77
Matt S - 75
Triggerfinger - 73
Bow Nut - 59
Gutpile - 69
Toomanyknots - 90
Justin Snyder - 62
Weylin - 34
Rainman - 56
Fencepost - 40
Randman - 71
Stingray45 - 68
Mullet - 85
Sadie Jane - 52
Jpitts - 69
Tukey522 - 74
Marz5 - 87
Frankg - 63
Keenan - 114
Blacktail - 92
Ifrit617 - 82
Venisonburger - 81
Sidewinder - 88
Mikekeswick - 85
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I'll post my guess once you've finished.
Same way as I do my development time scales at work... never been late on a project yet ;D.
Del
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;D ;D ;D Looks like there are severall good belly splits still in there! ::) :o >:D
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Where's Thor when you need him?
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Where's Thor when you need him?
Last time I saw him he was in a bar watching a Vikings game, crying in his beer and getting "hammered".
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I found a couple of nasty little borers in a stave today. I better hurry and get this thing finished. It's amazing how a such a soft squishy little creature can bore a hole through such hard wood.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC14429.jpg)
Total is now up to 77 staves. There are only a few names still in it.
Hatcha - 80
Toomanyknots - 90
Mullet - 85
Marz5 - 87
Keenan - 114
Blacktail - 92
Ifrit617 - 82
Venisonburger - 81
Sidewinder - 88
Mikekeswick - 85
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that is kind of funny how those little bugs do chew that hard wood and do so much damage...john
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Nice haul there Clint ;)
Cipriano
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Well, I am finally done with it :P It has been a long and hard journey, but I would do it all over again if given the oppurtunity. When I got all the staves together and stood back to look at them, I had a great fealing of accomplishment. This has been the biggest project like this I have ever attempted. I had help getting them out of the woods, but after that, it was all up to me.
The final total is 109 staves plus 6 billets. That makes Keenan the winner of the contest. He guessed 114 staves.
I was able to get 43 belly splits and 66 outer staves. It takes me an average of 30 minutes per stave to peal, seal, and clean up so I have 33 hours just in doing that. I have no idea how many total hours I have in it, but I know it is a lot.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/DSCN6528.jpg)
My pile of shavings
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/DSCN6531.jpg)
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You sir, are the MAN!! :)
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WOW! That, my friend, is quite a haul. It most definitely was worth it.
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Incredable Clint! 8) That's a nice ness of osage.
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Awesome big daddy....I agree you are the man. That is a lot of time and effort for sure.
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Thats breathtaking!.......seriously tho, i cant breathe thats so awesome!! :)
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The only thing thats comes to mind is...WOW!
I guess you are set up for a while ;)
Awesome work...and im a bit envious too ;D
/Mikael
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That is great !!
Looking at some of those I think you can still get a couple of bows from several of them!
good on you for staying after them till cleaned up !!!
Guy
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Brings a tear to my eye, man, awesome!
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i am sorry i lost,but i am glad Keenan won.he is a great guy and will do them justice.nice hual Clint,Steve
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very impressive and I love the pic with all the staves in it, quite the haul...what I would REALLY love to see is all these staves lined up again in one pic after you have turned them into bows...I know it won't happen but it fun to imagine the picture...glad to see your work pay off, enjoy the bowmaking!
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Mother of god.
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Wow!
Ron
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Wow! Incredible haul Clint, you have won the respect of many. Most would not have been able to complete such a daunting task. My solute to your tenacity. As Strong bow stated, it would be nice to see how many bows come from your efforts. ;) See you at the Classic Bro.
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Now what ya gonna do????
Thats pretty impressive right there, I don't care who you, thats pretty impressive!
Rick
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How tall was that tree?? Anybody know where the Grand National Champion Osage tree is?? I'm thinking that one would have at least been in the running...
Rick
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Yes Sir!!!
What a Beautiful Sight that is!!!
WELL DONE!!!
Trade you a One pound Tub of Icy Hot and a 100 count Bottle of Advil ES for a good stave! >:D
-gus
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Wow! Incredible haul Clint, you have won the respect of many. Most would not have been able to complete such a daunting task. My solute to your tenacity. As Strong bow stated, it would be nice to see how many bows come from your efforts. ;) See you at the Classic Bro.
Keenan,
You won the guessing contest. Is it OK if I bring some to the Classic and let you take your pic?
Thanks for the kind words everyone. I should have explained why they are different colors. I used every can of shellac and polyurethane I could find in my garage. I bought some dented cans at half price from Lowes too. Some of the poly had stain mixed with it. I put two coats on every stave, and I'm going to put a third coat on them before I put them away to dry. I have an idea bouncing around in my head of how to build a storage rack for them in my little workshop. That is going to be my next project. If it works, I'll post pics of it.
I would like to keep track of all the bows that come from these. I have already let go of 3 staves :'(
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That's incredible! You are the man!!! Way to stick it out and do it right. I have some major respect for you bro!
~Will
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wow what a great haul :o good luck with 'em and congrats keenan
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Wow thanks for your generouse offer Clint. I'll gladly except. However after all the effort you put out, it is only fair if take home some Northern wood as well. ;)
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Way to get-r-done...that is an awsome pic.and an amazing amount of that yella gold.enjoy and congratulations :o ;)
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Wow- congrats! Are you going to be trying to find a home for some at the Classic (sell/trade)?
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man of man thats is allot of stave's!!! You are a very lucky man
and man great job with all that hard work i bet you know your draw knife like the back of you hand.
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AWESOME JOB...and congrats keenan,from what I hear youve got enough wood tho as is. :laugh:
Can't wait to meet ya at the classic clint ;)
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if you run out of storage, let me know ;)
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Back at ya Blackhawk :)
And yes, I'll be bringing some of these to the Classic. I plan on driving my truck this year. A 96 Saturn can only hold so many staves.
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I'll go out on a limb and say ooh... 75 staves if we include all 4 of those sections
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is it too late to enter my guess? ;)
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Man, that is a picture that you can look back at when your old if I've ever seen one.
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Wow,
that was really fun to see how that progressed. Lots of good projects for you there.
Thanks for including us in the project.
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Blinding bit of work that, a job done properly and its nice too see hard work well rewarded.
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You have about $6,000 dollars worth of wood their. If you paid yourself $30.00 per hour You could allow about 200 hours for all that work. I bet your muscles are a bit stronger than when you started! Great job! you have my respect. Steve
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Keenan I Can't help wondering how you were only one off, you remind me of those prodigies that you can dump a box of paper clips in front of and they will tell you how many paper clips there are as they hit the ground
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Keenan I Can't help wondering how you were only one off, you remind me of those prodigies that you can dump a box of paper clips in front of and they will tell you how many paper clips there are as they hit the ground
And he's a very good driver. Very good driver. But only on Sundays. Only Sundays. Definitely Sundays.
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Keenan I Can't help wondering how you were only one off, you remind me of those prodigies that you can dump a box of paper clips in front of and they will tell you how many paper clips there are as they hit the ground
He was off by 5. He guessed 114 and I ended up with 109. I didn't count the billets in the contest.
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that is a truck load of wood...i cant wait to see some bows as well....i am sure you and keenan will do each other well..john
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WOW.....
I'm amazed at all you were able to get.
Hard work but well worth it.
Congrats
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That is awesome,looks like you are hooked up on Osage for a while. :)
Pappy
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I'll bet you can't build your way through them all. You be looking for a different wood for sure. I would thats the most I've ever heard of coming from one tree. In 82 I cut one that hat 61 staves from the logs I didn't even bother with the limbs or billets. I thought that was a lot. I traded a few and have 4 or 5 left. I also know a guy that use to take staves to DENTEN HILL he had a tree he got 83 staves from from the logs.
He has'nt went there for 15 years but still has a building full. My stash since no one around here builds selfbows.
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Just saw the final count Clint. Congrats and big time props for getting em debarked and properly processed. That really is the tough part. The thing I "DO" like about debarking is it sure increases your core strength if you have a good sized stack to work through. Low impact resistance training is the best for building your core muscles.
I am hoping to make it to the classic for the first time this year. I have been going to Ojam near Perkins, Ok for the last 4 yrs and I think I will add the classic to the agenda this year.It seems to me the one event I do not want to miss. Look forward to seeing you in person. Danny
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I do think my core strength has increased while working on this. The other night at work a coworker was getting a little to big for his britches. I scooped him up with one arm and threw him on my shoulder. Then I spun circles until he was ready to puke. That seemed to settle him down. ;D
Sidewinder: You will definitely enjoy the Classic. It's a blast. I will see you there.
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Congratulations on a huge accomplishment! I've been involved in several really big osage trees, but I wasn't a loner on them...had a lot of help.
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I do think my core strength has increased while working on this. The other night at work a coworker was getting a little to big for his britches. I scooped him up with one arm and threw him on my shoulder. Then I spun circles until he was ready to puke. That seemed to settle him down. ;D
Sidewinder: You will definitely enjoy the Classic. It's a blast. I will see you there.
If the helicopter ride didn't make him puke you could have made him eat one of one of them big ol' cobra headed borers!
Sidewinder-if I was going to the Classic, I'd see you there too. *wink*