Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: hedgeapple on February 21, 2009, 09:08:42 pm
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I found this osage up rooted from the ice storm while I was out cutting BL that had been up rooted. The large log is 5 1/2 diameter. The first growth ring near the white wood is 3/8" thick. That means most of the limb's thickness will basically be one ring is that a problem or a benefit? Here's my thoughts on how to split it to help insure that I have the thickest growth ring(s) by splitting it along the green dotted line.
Any advice is more than welcome.
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I'm not so sure that I'd split the smaller of the two for fear of it warping as it dries.
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Sonny, you're probably right. By the time I take off the cellium (SP), I'm probably just going to have a 2 or 2 1/2 inch sappling, anyhow.
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Use the sapwood. I have made a few nice bows with osage sapwood on them. The bow that I gave KOAN last year for the Christmas trade is about 50/50 sapwood heart wood. If the sapwood is cared for properly from the stump it is as good as most whitewoods. IMO
The grain configuration will limit how you split the logs. I would try to keep ring thickness similar on each half log when you split them. Then you will have to deal with what's under the bark when you get there. I would give them a week or 2 then split them in half. You may want to clamp the halves of the smaller one to a form or 2x4. Seal the ends now if you haven't already.
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I'd do like Pat said. But instead of splitting, I'd run it through a table saw or Ban saw.
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Pat and Mullet are you talking about the small log or both? Are you suggesting splitting them more like this?
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Split them the first way. Later you can split the bigger half of the bigger stave in half.
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Thanks Pat.
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I'm with pat ;)
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Have you considered your splits in correlations with any knots that are present? had to tell about that in your pics.
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Timo, I hadn't thought about knots at this point. But I will before I smack it with wedge. I suppose I could learn more about splitting if I gave you guys more to work with. :) I'll post more pictures this afternoon.
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I would also look for how any crookedness in the log will translate to the staves. Up-and-down bends are pretty easy to correct, side-to-side ones are tougher. If I was going to split the little one, I would do it the second way if everything else worked out (knots crooks, etc.), just so I wouldn't have a peaked crown on the back of the bow.
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Those are tough staves to decide what to do with. ???
There's a reason why the heart is off to one side like that. The side with the thinner rings was under tension and the thick side was under compression. If you split it the first way the thin side will draw into a bunch of reflex. If it was a bigger log, the thick side would be straight or deflexed, but since they are both small, there's a good chance that both halves will draw a reflex. If you split it the second way, I'm afraid it'll want to pull a sideways bend on you.
If it was mine and the bark ran straight with no twist...I'd saw it right down the middle of the stave...not the heart. I'd do it like the first pic... just in the center. That way you have plenty of wood in both halves. Leave the bark and sapwood on it for a while and seal the belly, especially on the little one. Now all this is just my opinion, so don't take it for fact. ;)
Some pics of how the bark runs would help.
Most of them I cut that small, split with a bunch of prop twist and end up as fire wood :( I hope these turn out better for you.
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Here are better picture of the whole logs. Thank you guys for so much help.
The shellac dried a bit pasty in spots.
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Here's the other end and the other side.
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I see you have a pretty good knot on the little one. I would split/saw it along the black line so as to avouid the knot and try for one bow from it.
I would split the bigger one in the neighborhood of the other black line.
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Looks like the little one has snakes it's full length. Can I have half? ;D
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Pat, until I posted this question I didn't know that the bark was an indication on how the grain ran through the log. In that case, it is very snakey.
If you come up here an split it for me, teaching me how to split a log, you can have half. And, you can have a stave from the large one also with your help/guidance in splitting it.
A deal you can't refuse. :) I will be in Bryson City, April 24 through 26. I could bring the logs with me.
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bring it by my house any time and I will split it for you and show you how, I live is spencer, tn if its not to far, I have split a few logs in my day ;D
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Dave, if I could, I would. You might take Yazoo up on his offer. He is the true expert at splitting osage.
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Yazoo, I might just take you up on that offer in March. We have a cabin on a friends property near Glasgow, KY. My friend wants to get together for a weekend in March at the cabin. I'm not sure what weekend exactly that he's thinking about. I could do a loop down to Spencer, TN when I'm in that neck of the woods.
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just let me know a few days ahead,and come any time,osage is my favorite wood to split, because it is the most prediciiable,
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yhope you dont mind if i post a few pics of 2 osage logs i split today. (http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l338/knap_123/osage2001.jpg)<a and the last is of hat i split his wek total. i plan on takeing these to the stanly payne knapin in montgomery al. in 10 days. hope i can make some trades with 1 or 2 ;D(http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l338/knap_123/osage2002.jpg)(http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l338/knap_123/osage2008.jpg)
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I don't mind Knap.
Thank you Yazoo. I'll let you know when I'm heading that direction. Now, that I've learned that the bark indicates the wood's grain, maybe I can better predict the split instead of trying to force the point. I practiced a bit this afternoon on BL The staves split as I thought they would. I think there's a bow or two in here. Most of the staves had a prop twist, but a couple were pretty straight. The one circled in blue will probably be my first attempt at a stave bow. The blue is my second choice right now. I'll know more when I get the bark off of them.
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Hey hedgeapple your like 30 miles from me. I live near Mt. Vernon. We oughta work on bows sometime. Thought I was the only one round here still whittilin on bows.
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dont let a little twist keep you from working a stave, all staves need to go through the straghting process, work the quality staves, they all need to be steamed , heated and reflexed, If you look for a perfect stave especialy in osage your eyes will cross before you find one :D
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Hey Hickoryswitch, it's good find some local whose a bowyer. Me, I'm so green at bow building, if my feet were wet for over a day, I'd sprout. :D I'll PM you.
Yazoo, I'm beginning to believe you. I'm not lazy, I'm just looking for the stave that will give me the highest probability of success with my limit knowledge. I look forward to the day I can tackle the snakiest, knottiest stave in the stack.
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bring it by my house any time and I will split it for you and show you how, I live is spencer, tn if its not to far, I have split a few logs in my day ;D
Thanks so much for this offer. When I first looked at the map, Spence, TN didn't look that far from Glasgow, KY. After actually mapquesting it, it's like 2 1/2 hours away. grrr So, this would put me spending about 8 hours on the road, not leaving much daylight to actually spend quality time with splitting logs. So, I won't be able to make the trip. Thanks for you offer.
Dave
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I will be at the kentucky classic in april, might be closer
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Yazoo, I just did a search for the KY Classic and didn't find any information about it. When and where is the Ky Classic