Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Blaflair2 on October 22, 2013, 02:20:24 pm
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So a guy at work had some osage in his barn. Small limbs and stuff. He gave me a board and said it was osage. It's all about 10yrs old he said. The rough cut board is a brown orange, as seen in the first pic.
The second pic is of the cut part. It's looks like cherry. More brownish orange.
(He had no cherry lumber)
The third pic is a close up if the grain. It has some "glow" in the grain. So it gives me hope.
Does really old osage lumber age all the way through? It was a 1 1/8" board. Thanks
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I don't think that is osage. Looks like maple to me.
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Nope. Maybe cherry. Maybe maple. Not Osage.
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could it be sapwood?
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take a pocket knife and cut into it, it should definitely be yellow / orange
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As far as aging through? Ive used staves from the early 90's and earlier that were vibrant yellow inside.
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Not Osage
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broken record now...not osage :'(
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I have had some staves that perform like osage and are supposed to be osage but look off like they aged all the way through. So I think if left long enough or it had some discoloration maybe it looks like it aged through. Go for it and you will find out pretty fast if it is osage as far as performance. How does it work? Is it softer feeling like white wood?
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I know it's not white wood. It's hard. I wanna say cherry. But the guy only had two trees milled osage and locust. It's not locust
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I made a bow from a 60 yr old osage fence post...it was still vibrant yellow onda inside.. I aint never seen osage that changed color all the way thru.. Brian
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Cherry isn't that hard. I recently worked an Osage stave that was stored outside for 8 years. It was black on the outside but when i cut the end off the stave it was bright yellow.
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Is that a piece from the same wood as the long board you gave me? because Im pretty sure it oak, knots and end grain look like it at least
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Maybe you haven't cut into it far enough to see the yellow? Just make a bow and we'll see :laugh:
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Even very old osage is shocking yellow when cut into. It certainly isn't osage - no way.
If it's hard it isn't cherry. Doesn't look like cherry to me either.
Sure doesn't look like oak either......
Umm I haven't been very helpful have I!
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I'm going for maple.
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I'm going for maple.
+1
I say maple also. Bear in mind that I'm no expert by any means.
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Curious piece of wood.It does'nt seem to show much early wood making it a possible diffuse porous wood.Do a density test like in the TBB4 book on page 115.It's fun.I've done it a couple of times on local woods by me.Compare it to a known piece of osage you have.
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Since it's a square piece of wood, it is very easy to weigh it and calculate the SG. Weigh it to the gram on your kitchen scale, and measure the volume in cubic centimeters. The SG will rule out many species.
I'm sure it is not osage.
I would vote for cherry.
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Hard to say without putting my hands on it,I will say I have seen some funny looking Osage and BL in my time and I think you said that it was sawed so that can make things look differen also. :)
Pappy
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I'll say this too.I've made a couple of cherry bows.The smell is unique....Like cherry wood.Osage has it's smell too when working with it.
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Just look at the third pic just like beadman said it looks to be a diffuse porous wood so can't be Osage
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A thorn tree is a thorn tree , which one is which ?
Somebody is confused !
Hawthorn maybe, Osage I don't think so !
It does not look to be either Osage or Locust but if they are for sure the only choices, I choose Honey Locust !
Yes Osage will get dark clean thru but it takes a long spell !
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A VERY long spell Guy! I made a bow from a 40-50 yr old post and it was still yeller inside.
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I bought a snaky stave (Osage) from Mike at Pine Hollow bows and it was the same color all the way threw
I questioned that to him and he said the minerals in the ground did it ???
ALL MY DEAD OSAGE I HAVE ON MY PLACE IS YELLOW INSIDE. ???
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I have cut a bunch of osage, almost all was yellow inside except very oily, dark wood, it will be dark all the way through and will age the same way, all the way through.