Unhealthy Osage

[justsomedude]

I have an Osage with large offshoots that grew sideways and eventually broke at the roots. Still attached but sagging close to the ground and being held up by what the branches fell on.

I just cut a 5" diameter 5'6" log and split it. A bit less than 1/4 (the side that was facing the ground) has rot. Was clean all the way through at the base. There's a pretty nice twist going as well. Would you try to split off the rot?
Average moisture was 10%. Some as low as 8%. As high as 12% near the rotting part.

There is another one right next to where I cut this one that is easier to get to now. It looks healthier and is longer.

I figure if nothing else, I got practice splitting a log. And I can always use some Osage for handles or accent pieces.
Oh...in case it isn't obvious, the dark part in the middle is the space between the splits...that is't all rot.

[osage outlaw]

You could probably scrape off the black and find healthy yellow wood under it.  Osage trees tend to get "wind cracks" in them, especially the larger trees.  Every large osage tree that I've cut had them.  They are black or dark brown inside.  Often carpenter ants will make a nest inside of them.  Take a draw knife and start removing the dark areas.  Once its down to solid yellow wood you can decide if its enough for a bow.  Good luck.

Here is a good picture of the wind checks on a large tree

[justsomedude]

See what you mean. I just split one right down the black line and it gives me useable splits (with some knots and some twisting) and the rot isn't all the way through. I'll try dividing these and see what I have left.

[DuBois]

Is the one on the left as tweisty as the other one?
Was that the tree on the ground in the other post? Cool you got some hedge!

[justsomedude]

I'm getting good at splitting....there are two splits that look promising. Another that is clean but a lot of twisting. And yes, this is one that was basically on the ground. I am going out tomorrow to cut a longer one that looks like it might be better than this one.

I am going to get some 'ring chasing' practice on these and will probably end up with a few walking sticks at least.
My 12 year old son wants an Osage bow now And these staves are just a few inches taller than he is.

[Hawkdancer]

Put the lad to helping with the bow and he will probably keep it and make more as he gains experience.  On the other hand, Mama may not be too happy with 2 bowlers in the house😀 Unless the bug bites her, too!  At least, you will know where he is.  Sounds like a sweet cache of staves
Hawkdancer

[osage outlaw]

See what you mean. I just split one right down the black line and it gives me useable splits (with some knots and some twisting) and the rot isn't all the way through. I'll try dividing these and see what I have left.

I start my splits in those natural cracks.  The tree is telling you where it wants to split in half.

[justsomedude]

I got an interesting split out and decided to start working it into a potential kid's bow. I scraped off the bark with a hatchet and then went to a scraper and draw knife and chased my first ring. Will try to shoot for 28#@24"

It has snakiness in it that will be the top limb. The snaky end also has a reflex bend and prop twist so I get to try my hand at straightening (with dry heat). The bottom end has some reflex that I might try to match
This is about 56" end to end (before straightening).
Fist image is a side view and the second is the back

[osage outlaw]

Make sure you seal the back and ends really good.  You might want to clamp it to a 2x4 or something to keep it from warping as it dries. 

[justsomedude]

It's pretty dry already. When I did the first split, the average was 10% and it was only higher by the rotted parts. As I was working on this one, it was 5%-8%.
 I do have it clamped now as I am going to try some straightening tonight.
Do you seal the back of a roughed bow?
I know about the glue on the ends.

[Jim Davis]

Depends on the boy, but 28# could be enough for an adult who has never shot a bow. Maybe let him try a light bow or two before finalizing the weight on his.

[Stick Bender]

Looks  like you have enough thickness there at least that's how it looks in the pic at 56 in  & 1 1/16 wide making a bendy bow you could probably get a 50 lb @28 in. Bow  Osage is a amazing wood it takes a lot less then you would think to make a bow  , what were you using to test your wood moisture if it was a surface tester they can be way off  it sounds low for a freshly cut peace of wood ,osage likes to hold on to moisture for a while ?

[osage outlaw]

Yes.  Seal the back of the roughed out bow.  I  wouldn't go by your moisture meter.  Fresh cut osage usually has a lot of moisture that it needs to lose. 

[justsomedude]

I coated it with Linseed before doing the dry heat bend. Is that good enough? Is the goal to keep the back from checking as the wood dries out?

My moisture meter is a 2 prong contact meter. I don't know how accurate it is but I use it to test firewood (wood stove) and it tells me if wood is dry or wet. The sapling I cut for another kid's bow the other day was 26% which I expected.
This Osage was partially dead so it had already started drying out.

RE: Draw weight. My son shoots my 35#@28 ILF bow. I'll double-check his draw length and weigh that. But as I recall, he was pulling between 25 and 30# with good form. He has another low eight takedown bow that he is outgrowing now.

[BowEd]

If the wood is'nt dry through and through when you try to take that prop twist out with dry heat you could easily get longitudal checklines on the back of your bow.Nothing wrong totally with that and it'll function but it's easily avoided now at this time.With good dry wood you won't.Linseed oil really does'nt seal it good.It might slow the drying process down some though.Shellac will seal it.
It won't take long to dry as far as you have it reduced already.I would leave it in a 50% humidity area at at least 75 degrees and keep weighing it till it quit losing weight.Might take a few weeks.Should be down to at least 9% by then.Does'nt hurt to be sure.