Fresh Osage Staves

[tarsus]

Hello to all.  I cut and split several Osage trees yesterday, and I was just wondering if I should remove the bark from them and apply a sealant, skip the sealant, or just leave the bark on for the drying process.  I tried to look up some answers from past discussions, but had no luck.  I know that recommendations have been posted in the past.  These will be drying in  my basement, which is not too humid, but stays fairly cool during the summer.  I will try to post some pics of the staves later today.  Thanks in advance!   David

[mullet]

   You can leave the bark on and seal the ends.Or if you remove the bark also remove the sapwood.If you don't remove the sapwood it will start checking on the back as it dries.If you do remove the bark and sapwood you still need to seal the ends and I would seal the back also.

[tarsus]

Thanks, I sealed the ends almost before the trees hit the ground (shortly there after) but I was not sure about the sapwood.  After the sapwood is removed I will not need to seal the backs?    David

[welch2]

Leaving the bark on lets the back dry slow,but the sapwood is harder to remove dry.If you remove the bark now ,the back will dry much faster and it will check or crack, as Mullet said.

So most people go ahead and remove the sapwood ,then seal the back with poly or something to detard checking.

Ralph

[tarsus]

Thanks Guys!!!  I got several done today, and will try to finish the rest tomorrow.  I have noticed that several staves have started to take a propeller twist to them.  I hope that it will be something that I can still work with.  Thanks for the help.     David

[welch2]

That's why I let my logs dry for awhile before I split them out ,to stop them from twisting ,unfortunatly it also stops them from gaining reflex while drying.  You could try clamping the twisting staves to something while they dry.

Ralph

[Pat B]

I believe that with fresh cut osage, especially during the growing season when moisture content is high, you should split the log in half and seal the ends. After a month or so you could split out staves. If you remove the bark, or the bark slips while you're splitting the log, I would at least seal the sapwood well and the ends. The ones that you have split and are twisting should be reduced to almost bow size, clamped to a form and allowed to dry. You should be able to remove the twists later but it won't be as easy.    Pat

[GregB]

I agree with Pat, we always leave the bark on osage and seal the ends. Depending on the diameter of the tree, I would cut in half or possibly quartered if a really large tree. Reducing to narrow stave size early is where the propellar shows up during drying. Leaving more mass/bulk reduces the twists during drying. We split to stave size after the wood is fully seasoned. We reflex the rough bow using forms when thinned enough to get some bending at floor tillering. 

[tarsus]

Guess I should have questioned you guys BEFORE I started hacking   Live and Learn   David