Home › Forums › Bows and Equipment › Osage Question
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Howdy everyone, I’ve been a long time lurker. I live in North Texas (DFW area) and enjoy the discussions and knowledge of the folks here. I’ve been a trad shooter my whole life (I’m 51) and really enjoy the simplicity of traditional archery. I’m a upland bird hunter and guide, I raise Vizslas, hence my screen name. I currently shoot a Sarrels Bobcatt Recurve at 58# with a 29″ draw and a bamboo backed Maple with tapered Brazilian Walnut core, it’s rated at 58# too, but it sure stacks.
Back to topic…
I have access to tons of Osage and wanted to cut a few staves and get them started drying/aging. Here’s my question, do you have to use the trunk of the tree or will a large limb work? Second, what size diameter should I be cutting? If anyone has a website I can reference, I’d be much obliged. I figure I have a few months or a year to get studied up. One more question, should I split the logs as soon as I cut them or should I paint the ends with something and let them age whole? Is it oK to let them age in the top of my carport or do they need to be in a cooler place, like my attic (which is cooled by air conditioning?
I’m in a bit of a hurry to do this, since it takes time for them to dry.
I look forward to your responses.
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Red Dog. A limb can be used depending on the diameter and the diameter of the growth rings.
Most use the trunk as it will be larger in diameter. The diameter makes a difference in what kind of bow you plan to make out of the stave and how accomplished you are at building self bows
A large diameter tree when split into staves will make a flatter bow back which in most cases is desirable. A highly crowned bow or stave probably will have crowned growth rings which also creates problems when finding the growth ring that will be used for the bow back. Growth rings from a small diameter trunk or branch will run out the sides of the bow making the integrity of the bow questionable.
I have seen some really nice bows made from limbs I have not been able to build a satisfactory one myself.
If you are getting the staves from the trunk I would split the trunk into staves and paint the ends of the stave with shellac or anything that will seal them. If you cut your stave six foot or longer the ends can be trimmed later .Again the length depends on the type of bow you are going to make. If you are making a longbow.a bows longer than 66” if tillered properly will have a better chance of staying together .
Drying in the carport should work. -
Red Dog
I live in Illinois.We generally do not cut Osage Untill later winter before the sap starts to run again. I have no idea when you should cut in Texas. Some do not put that much importance in the time of cutting. I harvest in the winter as that is how I was taught. There are a lot of good books to consult. -
Hey Guys
I’ve talked before about some day wanting to build my own self bow. I have so many questions and when I’m ready I’ll pick up correct books (Bowyers Bibles etc). But for now, could someone please xplain what is meant when you say you “have to find the growth ring to back the bow”? Do you mean scraping wood down along a single growth ring? That can’t be easy…..:?::shock:
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It not as hard as one would think. It takes a little practice and a lot of scraping. Next to yew , osage is king of the selfbow woods.To learn and experiment most start out with a white wood like ash or hickory.If you have a lot of osage just cut a lot of staves and jump right in.Be prepared for sore shoulders ,forearms and hands.:) It is addicting!Nothing like killing game with a bow and arrows that you made your self. Good Luck and good hunting of the right groth ring:D
Sorry JM I thought i was answering RED DOG. Yes you have to scrape to a groth ring and follow the groth ring the full length of the bow. If you don’t the back could and will splinter when the bow is drawn. That is why a lot of bows are backed with rawhide or sinue .Even with a backed bow the groth ring should have intergerty. The backing is just insurance. If you back with hickory or bamboo you can get a way with more. -
Some good stuff. There is a section on what part of the trunk to use and what to avoid.
Most bowyers seem to recommend that we beginners start with hicory or a similar wood. Don’t think it is as strong as osage unless backing is used but supposed to be easier to learn on and work.
I was at work today when posted about the self bow search and did not have this site available. That search is how I found this and several other similar sites.
Good luck and let us know how things work out. I may be in the market for a stave once weather cools off and I destroy a couple of pieces of hickory.
By the way, where are you located? I am in Deer Park. -
Ron,
I’m just on the SW edge outside of Fort Worth. Thanks for the link – I’m reading it today.
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Trust me, hickory will make as fine a bow as osage any day. One of the good things about hickory is the fact that you don’t have to stick to one growth ring. If you can it makes it better, but if you cut thru one it’s not such a big deal.
The drawback to hickory is it need to be force dried to get the moisture content below 10%. Otherwise it will follow the string after a short time.
I made a static tipped hickory recurve several years ago that would shoot well above the speeds of most other selfbows at the same poundage. I forced dried it to 10% and everytime I wasn’t working on it I kept it in the hot box at about 100 degrees. One of the best selfbows I ever built and at last count I had built well over 50.
Troy
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Sorry, didn’t mean to get off subject so easily.
Guess what I was trying to say is start with hickory and learn. Then move on to osage. Kiln dried hickory can be found in alot of lumber stores. It’s ready to work with when you get it. Helps to already have some idea of what your doing while the osage dries.
Troy
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Troy, no problem for me.
I appreciate the information and advise.
To me a thread isn’t hi-jacked unless somebody
gets way off subject or gets out of line.
The exchange of information is what helps us all learn and prevents others from making the same mistakes we make.
Hopefully Texas Red feels the same.
Thanks again, Rusty -
The reason for going into this is the fact that I screwed up several prime osage staves before I figured out how to properly build a selfbow. Even if you can cut them free of charge there is no reason to screwup a prime osage stave learning how to build a bow. Hickory is fairly cheap and easy to find. A clean 2″x6″ (if it ture 6″ wide)x 12′ long will cost you less and $50 and will produce 6 staves that do not require adding on a handle. Otherwise buy a 1″x6″ and use the drops to make the buildup for the handle.
Troy
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All good advice. Actually, I stumbled on a partially completed hickory takedown longbow on Ebay for $50. I’ll be working on that one first before I work up to the Osage. After all, hunting season is just around the corner and I have my priorities…I’ll be flinging arrows at Texas Whitetail and big mean feral hogs for the next few months. I’ll still be lurking around here during the slow times at work…sssshhh. I may even wander down Doc way if I get drawn for a deer hunt at the “Chap”.
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Troy that is good advice for new bowyers to start out on a hickory staves and they can yield nice bows. It sounds like Red Dogfound one to play with . As you are aware there is a learning curve to harvesting trees to yield good staves. It sounds like Red Doghas a abundant of osage to learn on and keep him going for years.I belive after research learning through practice is the key.
Like you I have built many self bows , I have hunted with them and harvested game with them and I do love to build them. My problem is keeping them together.:D:D LOL
I guess I need more practice!:) -
VA,
Very well said.
Been there done that with selfbows. I had a run of several months where it seeemed every bow I made wanted to go bang!
It was during the time that everone was trying to make a selfbow that was faster or as many put it more productive.
I later found that about the best anyone could achieve in speed was 100fps plus the weight you were pulling (ie 50# bow should equal 150fps). Anything beyond that was just a prone to go bang as shoot.
My problem with selfbows is my body. Yes selfbows on average have more handshock than glass bows and my bow side joints just couldn’t handle the shock.
Troy
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Troy Breeding wrote:
My problem with selfbows is my body. Yes selfbows on average have more handshock than glass bows and my bow side joints just couldn’t handle the shock.Troy
Uh-oh, if hand shock is typically that bad there is no way I can handle it. Bicycle wreck in ’71 damaged left wrist. Between that, rock climbing and many years working in heavy industry, I have joint pain problems too. Just shooting my Pronghorn causes me pain after a bit and it is shock free. Just the pressure on the joint. Still shoot regularly but limit the time to minimize the pain.
Well, youthful indiscretions haunt many of us old guys.Guess I’ll just learn to make bows for the grandkids!
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There will be people that will tell you their selfbow has no handshock. Honestly, I’ve shot many a selfbow that others have made and to me they all have handshock compared to the average glass bow. Yes, there are glass bows that will shack your teeth out as well.
I feel most of the shock that comes from selfbow is mainly due to the mass weight of their limbs There’s just no way to reduce the mass without reducing the draw weight.
Another reason I think some think their selfbows have no handshock is simply the fact that they made it, have only shot that for for a while and have come accustom to it.
I have no quams with anyone that wants to shoot one. If my elbow and hand could handle the shock I’d love to go back to shooting one. Even though I do build my own glass bow there is still nothing more overwelming as taking a single chunk of wood and ending up with something that can put meat on the table.
Troy
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Just gotta say something!
I think one of the nice things about this forum is that not a lot of people use it. This seems to cut down the cliques and allows honest communication like this thread. Nobody putting others down for asking questions or trying to make people who ask questions look or feel stupid.
THANKS GUYS! -
Roninrus1 —
It is Why I am here — don’t think much of most other Internet sites —
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