Question on drying osage limbs

[wvfknapper]

I have about half a dozen limbs I cut from a osage tree and would like some input on how to go about seasoning them........I figure being Osage that If I try and dry them whole that they will crack open in places I don't want them too  but if I trim them as if building a bow then they will reflex real bad and I don't have enough room to tie them all down and store for drying, so any suggestions would be helpful..............Also how do you keep the bores from eating your wood up when the bark is left on ? They will all have a sapwood back............. Any natural repellents?


Thanks

wvflintknapper

[DanaM]

Send some to me I have room Robert See a solution for every problem its why they pay me the big bucks

[huntersim]

I have been  pretty haphazard with the few I've messed with. I mark the tension side and then split them in half. Peel the bark, coat them with tb3 and let them sit and do whatever they want. A heat gun will help get things in place after you have them roughed out and dry. Also, i had one check on the belly side because I didnt seal that side so you may consider sealing the belly too.

[cowboy]

I've tried different things in the last year. The best thing against bores and cracks is to get that bark off and seal them immediatly, that has seemed to work great for my osage. Seems also that if you let your halves or quarters sit around for a few months THEN work them down close for cureing then they won't warp and twist near as much, if at all . I still gotta lot to learn though...

[wvfknapper]

So the bores wont attack the sapwood ? I think I will just trim them up on the bandsaw and some of the thicker ones I will split with the bandsaw, remove the bark and might just tie them to a 2 x 4.

I have read that when leaving the sapwood on Osage that the sapwood drys faster than the heartwood which causes cracks, but seems like if I seal the sapwood as mentioned and not the heartwood then it should dry evenly, I hope 

Dana, one might just come your way, ya never know 

Thanks
wvflintknapper

[DanaM]

  My birthday is getting closer

[cowboy]

That's been my experience "on the sapwood".  I've got a pile of em stacked in the shop with sealed sapwood and haven't seen cracks or bugs on it yet (six months) - leave that bark on and you'll have sawdust, but they usually don't go far in the heartwood. OK, sounds like I'm quoting some book I read .
  I did the same thing on hick staves and the bugs made sawdust out of em anyway, sure were some pretty staves .

[DCM]

Limb wood is gonna go all crazy not matter what you do.  If you leave it whole, it will part where you don't want it to sometimes, sometimes cleanly along the tension/compression line.  Aside from reducing and using a caul it's a crap shoot.  I'd at least part the stuff 4" or bigger once. 

A couple of good coats of shellac is the best and most cost effective sealer I'm told, and if you haven't had problems using glue you've been lucky. 

I personally leave the bark on and have had very good luck cutting wood before the last frost, getting it reduced to say 4" to 6" quarters before the warm temps come.  If I was gonna cut this year, I'd of been at today or already done.  Last chance for frost for us is about April 1.  I think the bugs are after the sap, if you give the wood several months to dry before they hatch you greatly reduce the chances they'll infest the wood.  I"m going on 6 seasons or more with no bug damage, but my first few were horrible. 

Also, keep wet white woods segregated.  I generally don't cut it, and generally debark it immediately, but have had BIG infestations if the bark is left on.

[Pat B]

The bores come from eggs laid by a small wasp in the bark the season before, I believe.   Some folks soak the bark with Malathion or even diesel fuel to kill the eggs/grubs. I would rather not use pesticides on wood I'm gonna be handling. By removing the bark and sealing the back and ends too will eliminate the bugs and prevent checking(or at least reduce it). You may get some checking in the belly but it is usually inconsequential by the time the bow is built and if there are still a check or 2 on the belly, it shouldn't effect the outcome of the bow, except cosmetically.
   I have seen some osage logs with grub damage only just below the bark(cambium layer) and maybe one ring of white wood and I have seen others with bore holes all the way to the center of the log.
  You can split the poles, designating the tension side first for your bows, strap 2 or 4 of them together, backs to the inside and let them support each other as they dry. Later you can reduce and unwanted twist or bends with dry heat.  You can also reduce each to floor tiller stage with limbs even in thickness and width and you should get a more controlled drying.
   Cutting more wood than you can deal with can result in a lot of work with little reward.
   I believe you will fare better by splitting the poles rather than cutting them with a band saw. By splitting, the split will follow the grain and the natural flow of the wood. When you cut it with a band saw, you cut across some grains and this can lead to unstable drying which can lead to more twists and turns.  Pat