Need advice on 35+ year old osage posts-new pics

[osage outlaw]

I've been helping my Dad tear down some old buildings on his property.  I posted some Black Locust barn beams a few weeks ago.  They were swiss cheese from all the bug damage.  Well today, I went to help him on the last barn and I see all these osage posts sticking up from the ground.  They were the base for the walls.  They are close to 4' long so I'm hoping for billets.  Some are in better shape than others.  Several of them still have the bark on them.  So my question is, how do you tell if they are any good?  I managed to pull 2 of them out of the ground.  They are checked pretty bad but still very solid.  I tapped one with a piece of metal and it made a "tink tink" sound like I was hitting another piece of metal.  I can see some borer holes on the tops and it looks like they stayed in the sapwood from what I can see.  I didn't count but I think there is about 15 posts.  My late grandfather was the one who built this barn.

[JW_Halverson]

That's really easy....make bows from them and see if they survive the process.  Simple, right?   

[gstoneberg]

You can't tell from the outside, have to "open them up" so to speak.  I've only tried it once so far.  If you'll forgive me for posting pics in your thread, it looked like this.





That bow failed because it had those annoying powder post borers that are teeny teeny and come in from the side.  The wood is unbelievably hard though.  I think posts in the round are gonna be less vulnerable to those guys.   Regular borers I find to just be an annoyance.  If you can get to good wood they'll make great bows.

When I went to get my osage milled he said he had a 100 year old corner post I could have.  It looked like this:



I wanted it real bad but there was a fire ant colony in that dirt that came out with the post.  I didn't  risk it.

George

[blackhawk]

yup..start tearing into them and youll know...its hard to tell from here,but they look to be in decent shape and looks like a few are salvagable....and do you really need more yeller wood ...dont you have enough ...are you really that desperate ...lol....just givin ya a hard time pal that wood be cool to make a bow or two from posts your grandfather laid in the earth

[Buckeye Guy]

yup..start tearing into them and youll know...its hard to tell from here,but they look to be in decent shape and looks like a few are salvagable....and do you really need more yeller wood ...dont you have enough ...are you really that desperate ...lol....just givin ya a hard time pal that wood be cool to make a bow or two from posts your grandfather laid in the earth

 Yea and besides that everybody should have a take down or two !!!

[osage outlaw]

George, no need to apologize for posting those pictures.  I always enjoy seeing the pieces of wood you are able to make bows from    After seeing that first picture I am feeling better about my posts.  They seem to be in better shape.  I'll split them in half and see what they look like.  The hard part is going to be getting them out of the ground. 

Blackhawk, I know, I know.  I have a problem    I just can't stand to see bow wood rot away.  I would have risked the fire ants for that post George turned down.  My neighbor down the road better watch out.  He cut a bunch of black locust posts and piled them up next to the road 

[osage outlaw]

Oooh, takedowns.  I hadn't even thought of that.  I like that idea better than spicing billets.  Thanks Guy!

I'll try to get some better pictures of the posts tomorrow.  I was pooped out and my stitches were buggin the crap out of me so I was ready to go home.

[criveraville]

Clint I'm sure you will be able to make bows if they are solid.

Cipriano

[George Nagel]

Those are generally hard as nails and can be worked into a nice bow. About 10 years ago Rusty Craine sent a couple my way just for fun and here some pics of the results. Take down sleeve in the middle. She's a cranky ol' bow, 70", 50#

[George Nagel]

oops...another.

[criveraville]

George those are some nice snakey bows.

Cipriano

[George Nagel]

I was down in Kansas a few years ago turkey hunting and had reason to stop by the local lumber yard. They were selling hedge fence posts (new, about 6' long) for $7 apiece. I didn't get any, but if I'm ever back in that neck of the woods again with my own truck I'll pick up a bunch.

[gstoneberg]

Yea, they sell for as low as $4 and as high as $10 down here.  I probably see fence posts for sale every other month on the Dallas Craig's list.  I bought a bunch of old fence posts and they have a lot of borer damage.  I've only tried that one so far.

George

[crooketarrow]

  I once deer hunted on a fiends farm in KANSAS. He pulled out a corner post of OSAGE had his granddad had planted 100 years before. I got 5 bows form the log. After you get down past the weather cracks it all good wood. I don't know if it's true but the older the OSAGE the better the bow.

[osage outlaw]

Here are a few better pictures of the posts.  The big holes in the tops are from nails, not borers.