Its easy to see....

[PEARL DRUMS]

the difference between good osage and REALLY good osage. After handling and working what I would consider my fair share I have come to realize there are drastic differences from tree to tree. The darker orange, thin ringed stuff is just plain mean compared to the pale yellow stuff. Either make fine bows. However the dark orange, thin ringed stuff takes a  sliver to make a 55# bow. The bow that prompted this topic is a turkey bow Im whittling on that is 59" ntn and 1 1/2 wide, rigid handle. Its a mere sliver of wood now and still all of 70#'s at 28". Of course Im only guessing, I havent pulled it past 35#. Its the second bow from the same tree, the other was "Twisted Sister's" that I posted a while back. That bow was also a sliver of wood by the time I got to 50#. I have built many other similar styled bows that must have had 1/4-1/3 more wood involved. Not to mention the darker stuff seems to stay put much better after a heating session. When it boils down I feel the less wood needed to achieve the same draw weight the better the bow shoots and the longer it will last and hold reflex.

[vinemaplebows]

You talking about firewood again!

[PEARL DRUMS]

At least your gold plated yew isnt covered in massive thorns and protected by ticked off bulls!

[vinemaplebows]

Whiner!! you get to hunt slow elk on your way to your wood!

[Carson (CMB)]

Pearl, I haven't worked a lot of osage but I have some of the dark thin-ringed stuff and it is surprising how far I have had to take it down to get it close to brace height.  It just keeps getting thinner and thinner, and I keep thinking it should be bending by now.  The thing is that these are some 15 year old billets gifted to my by my dad, so I don't want to make a kids bow out of it, but it is already at kids bow dimensions

[coaster500]

Only built two Osage bows the first was my trade bow the second was a belly scrap that is about 45/46@27...  My trade bow was quite a bit thicker at just a couple more pounds and was much lighter wood in color. The belly scrap came from another stave and was much darker...  Not much wood mid limb for 45/46@27...

[crooketarrow]

  Like you I've built ALOT of OSAGE also. Heres what I've found out. The darker OSAGE you speak of. Is mosty the OSAGE that grows higher away from water. And uselly in a thicket,where it has to fight for sun light. It's not so much the ring size for me( IT'S USELLY A 16 TH OR UNDER TO THIN, THIN 32 TH) Trees that have to fight for sun light grows straighter and taller. I've did enough for fighting wood to let a bow out in years past. I like nice clean straight staves with some reflex add while green.
  Man but those trees that grow closer to a water scorce have really nice rings. For instance the stave I working now has 3 16 th rings. Hard to screw up a ring when there like that. I can't say thiner or thicker rings make better bows. I've never seen the difference. Thick ring bows are just easyer to work with.
  I've even made bows where THE RINGS WERE SO THICK I ended up with the bow only have 1 ring. This bow as exture nice the sister stave just turned out adverge the third was a dog. Why who knows but your right thiner rings the wood is denser and the bow limbs are thiner than thick ring bows.