Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: gstoneberg on May 27, 2011, 02:42:34 am
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I was able to cut some osage today. I had the help of Rickey and 2 young men I know from church. They love to split osage. Every bowyer should have a couple kids like these around. Taylor is 16 and Nathan is 12. This picture shows most of today's take, all from 1 osage tree. I think 2 logs and 2 split staves were missing from this picture. We'll need to go back next week and clean up the rest of the tree mess. Never have I had sap run out of osage like it did from this one.
George
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2551/5763999238_e3b8cf8e5c_z.jpg)
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Those look a little too straight for you. Couldn't you find any nice twisty crooked ones?
Nice haul.
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That doesn't look like any good bow wood to me...you'll have to send it up to me for further inspection :)
Nice haul.
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SWEETTTT I can see the bows.
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Thanks guys. This wood is unusually straight for around here, especially in a tree pretty much growing in the open. Of course, it can still twist and bend as we split it. Most of this will be left in halves. There was an anthill in one of the straightest sections (of course) so we split that one to get them out, Turned out to be the straightest wood I brought home.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2027/5764721638_2a2a288629_z.jpg)
The 3 on the left are from that log, there's a hint of twist but pretty good for me. Ricky took the largest piece of trunk in his SUV, it looked dead straight as well, and a lot larger diameter. Very unusual, now if we can just keep Murphy at bay until it's dry. ???
George
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Nice haul George. Way to put them young men to work. The kids in Pennsylvania must be different because if you say cutting wood....they run...lol
Jon
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Nice haul! My sons 12 and I've started makin him split my osage for punishment when he gets in trouble. Maybe I shouldnt do that, it seems to work pretty good though.
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NICE!
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That is some nice looking stuff, and you had help...can't beat that.
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Nice lookin sticks there ;D
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How are the rings?
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All but one of the trunks have pretty thick rings (for Texas). That one was crunched in between 2 larger trunks and it has real tight rings. It also has some borer damage. First time I've seen that in a live tree. The sap just poured out of this tree as I was cutting it, and man was it sticky. The actual base of the tree was about 2' in diameter, but I cut up about 6" where the individual trunks started. I think there were 6 of them from 8" diameter down to about 5". All were straight enough to make bows from. Best of all, 3 or 4 of the trunks had additional 6' straight sections further up the tree and almost all of them were growing so straight up that they weren't full of branches. It was a very unusual tree. The only challenging thing about this wood is that the center of each trunk is very close to one side in every piece. Some of the smaller pieces may not have enough heartwood on one side.
George
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That looks good George! Now about that Murphy thing, haha.. It'll be fine i'm sure as long as ya seal everything. I have a pile in the barn that I split, peeled and sealed AND sprayed with insecticide and the dadgum borers still got to it :( (that pile has been in there for probably three to five years). Don't be lazy like me and you'll get some bows made out of em for sure.
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That's a good load Jorge. Way to put kids to work.
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I'll huff and I'll puff, and split your wood in two. Quote from my Grandson last spring whilst we were splitting elm.
Looks like a fine bow wood harvest.
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nice haul .. now the work begins. you ought to see if you can get snakeman to shave one of those