Has anyone here tried argentinian osage orange for bows?

[zinger]

Has anyone tried argentinian osage for bows? Is it superior to it's north american counterpart for this?

[PEARL DRUMS]

Yes, twice with a hickory backing.  Superior?? Are yiou crazy?? Nothing is superior to NA osage, zero.

[zinger]

Wow - well good. I guess there's no point in getting any. I am planning to get some NA osage lumber and back it in order to skip all the trouble with buying and preparing a stave. I'm just hoping that I don't get too much sapwood in it, which I hear is near useless in osage.

[warpath]

I've made many a bow with Argentine osage and never had a problem with it. The Mrs. has been shooting hers for close to 5 years now and it is still an excellent performer. It doesn't make a great selfbow, but is just as good once backed with hickory or bamboo.

  G

[Pat B]

I added a thin Argentine osage strip to the belly of a NA osage bendy handle static recurve but this is my only experience with it. There is a color difference and it has at least as good compression strength as NA osage.

[PatM]

I think Badger once said he'd use nothing but this wood if he could get enough of it.
 The general comments on this wood seem to indicate it's kind of like "yewsage"

[SA]

i have made a couple of boo backed ones from it and they shoot fast and hold up good.

[soy]

A good friend of mine made a perry reflex backed with boo...shoots haaaard and straight 

[doulosparachristos]

Im blessed to have one of SA's boo backed osage bows; its no joke, that is one great combo.

[crooketarrow]

  I used it twice it's a little more brittle that ours. But both of mine came out ok.

[zinger]

@Pat - if this wood is reffered to as 'yewsage' that must indicate that it is one heck of a bow wood. I wonder if it might be straighter grained and more knot-free than NA sage which would be a big plus.
 

[PEARL DRUMS]

zinger the stuff I used was a more pale yellow, slighlty less dense, and it worked easier than NA osage. Also the pieces I used werent any cleaner than NA osage I have used. Keep in mind I used it twice, not 100 times or anything. It worked fine and dandy, but its not NA osage based on my personal experinece with it.

[mullet]

  I have half of a hickory backed, Argentine osage bow that is a good candidate for a Take-Down if I can break another one.

[vinemaplebows]

Where can you get the wood?

[PatM]

Argentina Check specialty wood dealers close to you or online. Lots of them out there. Because the Argentine variety grows larger and generally cleaner, you have a better chance of getting  a decent board.