Safety for longitudinal weathering checks on Osage

[BowEd]

The only cherry we have here is black cherry and the bark on that is a liitle different but you could have a different type of cherry over there.The bark in the picture kinda looks like what I call plum bark here,and that stuff is'nt from near as big of trees as in your picture.

[Selfbowman]

If the cracks stay inside the edges of the limbs . Then super glue and shoot it like Pappy said. Most don't go more than one ring deep. If the crack goes off the edge and thru thru the ring you are taking a chance. I have a couple I built last year that are still shooting but I am taking a chance. It's wood. Arvin

[Springbuck]

upstate, when I first saw the pics, I thought, "Hmmmm, that looks kinda bad. Maybe take it down one more ring just to see."

But, then you said you were happy with the tiller and almost to full draw.  in that case, slap that bark backing on there, wrap anything that scares you with fine thread, silk,  or sinew, and shoot that baby.

[upstatenybowyer]

Thanks boys. As I was just starting to tiller a small check on side of the belly gave under compression and a thin sliver of wood popped off. That was fine, as it was on belly and the wood needed to come off anyway, but it got me thinking that if the one on the side of the back (in the photo) gave under tension it would not be fine.

Anyway, I've decided to wrap the area w/ some sinew and slap some rawhide over that (thanks for the trade Ed ).

Ed, that bark is great because it came from the perfect diameter tree (not too thick or thin) that's been dead for the perfect amount of time (easy as pie to remove in big pieces).

[Stick Bender]

I think it's a win win for you I was amazed how little mass raw hide adds , it's probably best bang for your buck for insurance on a questionable stave ,  prepping the back & degreasing the hedge took longer then putting the raw hide on , Brad Smith offered a tip of putting painters tape on the belly and a little up the side  made clean up a breeze !

[BowEd]

The bark you'll get upstate will be mostly egg shell white.Yearling deer here I flesh in the frame/dehair dry scrape and they come out that color.Yearlings I practically completely make into raw hide strips for backings.Does get made into clothing and bags.Big bucks get made into pants mostly.
I use that painters tape too on laminated bows to speed up clean up.Old Brad's been around a few corners.
Those old dead hedge and posts made into bows are unique in their color and all,but depending on the thickness of the rings sometimes those weather checks can go quite a few rings in yet if you want to get rid of them completely.Wood is hard as can be too.Like iron.Hard on tools.I chased a ring on a 30 year old stave with the bark on it yet and had to chase checks and wasp holes at least 9 rings down before into the heartwood.If a person does'nt chase those rings right away and just leaves it for years laying there it should be a good meaty type stave to have enough wood yet to make a bow if you don't like those checks.Like said though they don't hurt a thing if they run straight with the limb and not off the side.

[George Tsoukalas]

I had a bow like that with several checks and some running off. I draw knifed the bad ones. I hit the rest  with CA glue clamped it and went on with it.

Shot it for 3 years and then it blew up violently!

Just kidding. Just wanted to see if anyone reads my posts.

It is still a bow.

You have to decide.

Jawge

[BowEd]

That sounds like cherry wood to me.Not osage.

[upstatenybowyer]

Jawge, you're a trip. 

Bender, thanks for passing along that tip from Brad. That man certainly knows his stuff.

Ed, I do love these old staves of osage. Plus, they are often the only ones I can get cause people really don't care about me removing dead wood from under their hedges. They also don't mind if I ask to cut the dead wood away from living trees. To them I'm just cleaning up their property. Does make me feel a lot like a scavenger though. You might even call me an osage vulture!

[Stick Bender]

Nothing wrong with being a card carrying hedge scavenger/vulture 

[bradsmith2010]

George I read all you post,,

[Stick Bender]

I caught it too George 🤔

[Springbuck]

I not only read your posts, George, but I agree with you as often as possible so I look cool.

[Pat B]

Josh(gundoc) sent me a stave that he has cut and split about 10 years before but it laid on the ground for that 10 years. The stave had checks that run completely through the limb and were quite long too. I built a bow with it and sent the finished bow back to Josh. The tiller was a little off but it shot pretty good. Josh found the wood on an island near where he lives in Kansas and that's where it laid. I named the bow "Island Girl". I made a small sinew backed bow with the belly split and I called that bow "Gidget"...Island Girls" little sister. Matt Wirwicki won Gidget with a coyote quiver and bow case and a set of arrows from the raffle table at the Classic 2 years ago I think.
Do a search for Island Girl to see pics.

[Limbwalker]

Hello everybody, I had a thought, that bark looks like fairly young Black/Sweet Birch from my phone. Could be wrong. I just cut one down the other day. I have a bunch of the bark. Juvenile Black Cherry can look very similar though, as it matures it becomes flakey and looks different. Although I bet you have large Flowering Cherry trees where you are and the mature bark those look very similar and also may be what you got there. Anyway looks nice though.

It's getting dark, but I just noticed all three trees I mentioned above are right near me in the neighbourhood that I'm working in. I took pictures of all three trees, the Black Birch is standing dead is not the best for this, but anyway here you go