Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: osage outlaw on November 05, 2015, 06:47:37 pm
-
I did a little exploring on a property I have permission to cut wood on. It's an old farmstead along the Ohio River. I was checking out an old hedge row when I found a few stumps. I looked over the bank from the stump and saw a black log. A closer look revealed a solid as a rock osage log. The bark was long gone. The wood was black in color. I didn't see any checks or bug damage on it. I'm sure there are a few bug holes on the bottom that was in the dirt. I wasn't planning on cutting any wood so I drove the wife's car and didn't bring a chainsaw. I borrowed one and did the best I could with the dull chain that was on it. The wood is super heavy. It has a smooth waxy feel on the ends where I cut it. It feels like its been sanded smooth. We drug it out of the hedge row to a spot I can get to it with my truck when I come back. I can't wait to split it open and see what it looks like inside. The rings aren't the best ratio but they are usable. It might have some twist to it. Its hard to tell without the bark.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Mobile%20Uploads/20151105_162313.jpg) (http://s141.photobucket.com/user/clintanders/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20151105_162313.jpg.html)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Mobile%20Uploads/20151105_162415.jpg) (http://s141.photobucket.com/user/clintanders/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20151105_162415.jpg.html)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Mobile%20Uploads/20151105_175110.jpg) (http://s141.photobucket.com/user/clintanders/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20151105_175110.jpg.html)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Mobile%20Uploads/20151105_175139.jpg) (http://s141.photobucket.com/user/clintanders/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20151105_175139.jpg.html)
-
Wow! :)
-
Looks like gold on the inside!
-
I love dead Osage 8) good luck I hope when you open it up its not a disappointment. Looks very promising from here though
-
That's some kinda log you got there Clint, Keep us updated on the splits..
DBar
-
Lucky dawg😉
-
looks great to me,,congrats :)
-
That'll make some fine bows I think for sure!
-
Don't tear into it to soon young man, let her season a couple years. >:D
-
I'll have to split it in half tomorrow just to get it loaded Greg. I've handled some big logs before but this just seems to be extra heavy.
-
Looks like it might be best for billets, cause of the twist, though you won't really know until you start to split it.
I am surprised it hasn't started to check. I have seen weathered logs like that and they had lots of checks(still bows in there though).
A good find, but I'm glad its you doing the splitting and not me as my shoulder has barely recovered from the last batch I did a couple of months ago(getting old sucks).
-
That's a fine cut you made ;)
-
Hamish, I was surprised by the lack of checking also.
A a ron, Thanks. That chain was about as sharp as a butter knife. We swapped out his extra chain and it wasn't any better. We were doing good just to make 2 cuts.
-
Egads man! Those rings are perfect! I will trade you stave for stave of all my thick ring stuff for that!
-
Oooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaah! 8) Man, that's gonna make some great bows. I wonder if it has been under water(river flood plain?) because of the color and no checks.
-
It wasn't under water Pat. It was under a canopy of trees. Maybe it stayed out of the sun and stayed cooler where it was laying.
-
Sure makes it hard to address the Osage addiction when nature puts temptation like that in your path! Can't wait to see what you get out that log. :)
-
Fun stuff! Jawge
-
What a cool find, buddy! Congrats!!
-
It has a smooth waxy feel on the ends where I cut it. It feels like its been sanded smooth.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Mobile%20Uploads/20151105_175139.jpg) (http://s141.photobucket.com/user/clintanders/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20151105_175139.jpg.html)
Sounds like it got some high speed burnishing with that dull chain blade. :)
Nice score! I don't know much of anything about dead osage, but if it is like dead yew, it can check badly on the back once split and stored dry.
-
I see checks about 1/4 the way in -- they're a little masked by the chain burns.
They're dark radial lines. They will not appear on the surface of a log in a damp place, because they close up, but cutting through the end shows them.
If cut, as the wood dries it opens them up again, but they're there already, and have been for some time -- which is why they are gray.
Still, most of the log is sound -- if the end is any indication, and the checks may be far enough apart to use the space between them. It would save the most wood to first split the log directly through one of the checks -- easier, too.
-
If there's anyone on this forum that knows how to split and get the most out of Osage it's Clint
-
Nice find! Let me know if you need place to store all those staves! >:D
-
If there's anyone on this forum that knows how to split and get the most out of Osage it's Clint
Thanks Paul. I've split a stick or two of yellow wood before ;D
I should be able to bust it in half in a few hours. I'll get a better look on what's inside.
-
Apologies, no slight meant by saying that.
-
Ohhhh I bet there's some nice wood in there.
-
PlanB: No offense taken :)
Goat Wizard: I hope you are right.
-
No fair!!! You are always finding all the good stuff >:( ;)
-
what a great find, lucky dog Clint!
Too bad, no sage here in Bavaria
-
Too bad, no sage here in Bavaria
Yeah, but let's face it, you have the better beer, lol.
-
I got it busted in half after dark in the truck head lights. It's still super heavy in 2 pieces. It's a little over 8' long.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Mobile%20Uploads/20151106_183120.jpg) (http://s141.photobucket.com/user/clintanders/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20151106_183120.jpg.html)
-
Wow! I didn't realize how big that was in the first pics. That is a monster!
-
Oh my gosh Clint! You're a lucky dog! I would love to run across one like that!
Patrick
-
Yeah the size of it is a shock :o.
Cool find, amazing how good it looks just a whisker down under the black outer...
That piece you gave me at the classic keeps coughing loudly and muttering 'Hey Del I'm up here' every time I walk under the shelf where it's stashed ::).
Not quite sure what to make of it, flight bow, ELB, NA.... so many bows so little time :laugh:.
The garage has been deweaponized for a few days :laugh: as we have fitters in installing solar panels and the access round the back is through the garage... should have been finished yesterday but they were missing some mounting brackets ::) (been there done that)
Del
-
Just thinking of getting those into a truck makes my back ache.
Best of luck, Clint, with the projects that will spring into life!
-
Very nice Clint. I'm interested to see how those turn out for you. Keep us updated
-
I officially HATE photobucket now! Dang their eyes! ....they won't let me see the black gold!
OneBow
-
Just a suggestion to anyone hosting your photos elsewhere (like Photobucket) and linking them into a forum.
If you want to reduce bandwidth, take your photos and reduce their size to 600 pixels wide before posting them. They will then be 1/10th the original storage size and bandwidth, or less.
But they will show up at a good size on a forum, since most computer screens have very low resolution compared to a camera.
It will also speed up page loading for people viewing. Just a suggestion.
If you need a free photo editing program to make the pxel size reductions, a simple one I use is called "MTPaint," but there are also a million similar editors of varying complexity and cost, and it can also be done online at some websites. Hope that helps.
-
yes, what do you have to do to see photobucket pics? I have seen them missing from several threads. What is going on?
-
I finally got time to finish splitting the log. I left them extra thick so I could chase a lot of rings to get rid of some of the checks. They are 8' long. A couple of them have bug holes. Some have a bit of twist. I ended up getting a decent little stack of pre-seasoned staves and a couple of billets. Just need to dry them out now.
(http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv22/Outlawstaves/20151211_105616_zpsnxpi4nda.jpg) (http://s666.photobucket.com/user/Outlawstaves/media/20151211_105616_zpsnxpi4nda.jpg.html)
-
Drool, Drool, Drool...
-
If you can figure out which stump it was cut from and count the rings on some of the growth comming out of the stump you may be able to figure out how long it has been seasoning. That looks like some good merchandise!
-
The stump was dead and didn't have any new growth on it. The property was bought 12 years ago and nobody has cut any trees since it changed hands. So it's at least 12 years minimum.
-
Score!
-
My personal favorite right there! I would take dead wood over live any day
-
Great score Clint!!!!! A few smaller dead ones stand here too and they are almost black and hard as a rock.
An old fella was making a pond on his property and was talking about it in the cafe.He wanted to put fish in it of course.For structure for the fish he said he was putting in hedge posts before it filled up with water.When asked how long he thought those posts would last he said OOOOOOOhhhh maybe about 50 years and then they'll turn into iron.Got a kick out of that.....lol.
-
I made my first dozen bows from osage fence post that had been in the ground for 65 years according to the farmer who pulled up the fence. It WAS like carving iron but those bows still survive some 17 years later in spite of my greenhorn bow making skills at the start. Looking forward to seeing what you create out of those staves Clint. Get out your ben gay brother, if its anything like the fence post it'll make your muscles ache while drawknifing.
-
Your the king Clint nice wood!!
-
If you get any skinny pieces, don't forget your ol buddy in KS! I'm more than happy to go through your bargain pile at the classic! Josh
-
Clint I noticed the early rings being as big if not bigger than the late rings. So I see what you are talking about . Be curious what kind of shooter you get. I have not seen a lot of osage with the early that big. Good luck with it. Arvin
-
Sorry Josh. I think these staves are going in my personal stash.
Arvin, the ring ratio isn't as bad as it looks in that picture. Once I split them and got a closer look at them I thought they had decent rings.
-
SWEETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Thats a awsome logs. I use to have a freind in KS. He pulled out a Osage cornner post his granddad put it in place 103 years before. Got 6 staves one did'nt make it.
He said lot work, theres a hole pile of Osage post over in the ploe shed. It was 26 poles all dead straight and any where aroud 70 to 80 years no one knew. 168 staves. He sold me them all for $ 10.00 a log.
Theres a few others behind the shed but they've been there my whole life. His dad said same your granddad cut and put them there. But those ones on the grounds rotted I'm sure.
18 Logs 12 to 15 inch corner post logs. All just like yours black, I guess KS. as no wood boarers. Every stave did'nt have any boars holes.
He let me have those to take he was sure they were fire wood. He was wrong. 116 Staves.
All of those staves either I built bows from them or sold them.. That was 18 years ago I sold the last 3 years ago.
-
Your a lucky man Clint. I'm working on a few dead standing yew staves.
I hope they are as good as dead Osage seems to be
-
Good luck with the dead yew. I'm curious to see how they turn out for you.
-
Good for you Clint. I bet that stuff is hard as iron. Should be cool to see what you come up with. Needless to say its not gonna take much sitting beofre you can work it.
Crookitarrow yeah we got borers in Kansas. left alone they will destroy a stash with bark still on. Learnt my lesson along time ago on that one.
-
Some guys will do anything to get outta debarking staves, geeshhh! >:D
-
Nice haul Clint, I love old sage like that. Should make a bunch of nice bows. :)
Pappy
-
I guess KS. as no wood boarers.
We've got plenty of boarers now. But maybe back when those would have been cut we might not have had them yet then. We didn't have emerald ash borer till a year or two ago so I guess it's possible. I had a pile of hackberry firewood I cut a few years ago an the first summer after it was cut I walked by the pile and could literally hear the boarers in the pile, I assume eating the wood but I could literally hear kind of ticking sounds comming from the pile and when I moved a few pieces the adult bugs were all over in the pile.
-
very very cool
chuck