Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Muskyman on August 29, 2023, 04:26:38 pm
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Harvested some shag bark hickory today.
It seems to have some propeller twist in it. Not real bad but, it has some.
Also I guess I waited to late for the bark to peel off.
I tried on a couple of them and it just wasn’t coming off like the piece I did earlier this year.
At this point should I just leave the bark on it, or should I draw knife it down to the back or what?
I sealed the ends. The long ones are 92 inches and the shorter ones are 72 inches
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Ya mike I wish you were thinking of going out for some. I would have warned you about that. It’s still good though you just gotta get down to the inner layer under the cambium. It will have ripples in it and will have left over cambium on the back but just leave it. It won’t hurt anything. The only concern is bugs getting under the bark and boring holes on the back surface. This is the main concern with just leaving the bark on. I just got my haul last week and the bark still slipped off but just barely. Usually get mine before now but too busy to get to my usual spot. Nice haul though. Still some good wood there. Even if you discover compromise back you can still use it for a boo backed bow or something.
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I would take the bark off now to prevent bugs from getting to it and it's a lot easier to remove when it green than when dry.
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So I’ll take the bark and cambium till I get close to first growth ring. Then seal it and let it dry for a while. I might try some hot water later and see how that works to get the rest off..
might try Bjrogg’s method with the pressure washer on one.. I don’t have the hot water but, I might try it without it. Not looking forward to taking it off with my draw knife.
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My buddy used a 4" PVCtube and wall paper steamer. He steamed for an hour or so and the bark/cambium fell right off.
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My buddy used a 4" PVCtube and wall paper steamer. He steamed for an hour or so and the bark/cambium fell right off.
That sounds like a lot better way than putting it in the shower. I’m thinking that would work really good. He didn’t get any drying checks? That would be my only concern.
I have used a high pressure washer with hot water and had very good results. Leaves a perfect back. For the thick hickory bark I’d probably remove big stuff with draw knife first.
I do like Pearls suggestion for such thick bark.
Bjrogg
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My buddy used a 4" PVCtube and wall paper steamer. He steamed for an hour or so and the bark/cambium fell right off.
This might be the way I would go at it. This would give you the cleanest back. I’ve scraped with a spoon too afterwards getting most of the bark off which works but lot more work. Some good advise here anyways to get er done.
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Yesterday it was hickory and today it’s Osage. About 4-5 weeks ago a guy on a job I was on told me that there was a Osage tree that had been damaged in a storm. I thought it was a goner because it had been so long ago. That’s why I cut the hickory. He called me this morning and said that it had been cut down and I needed to come get it. I knew it was a good tree so I went and got it today.
Nice rings and straight grain. I’m very fortunate that I got it. Lot of work in front of me to get it ready to stash away but that’s fine by me. I got about 24 staves yesterday and today. I’m probably going to be able to do some more splitting and piggybacking on the Osage so I might end up with around 30 or so.
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Another picture of the rings. All of them are pretty much the same
I’m going to buy a steamer and try the bark removal with it
Thanks for the help everyone. Love this site and how helpful everyone is.
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Nice score. You have some work ahead, but you should be set for awhile.
Bjrogg
PS I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think the steam or pressure washer will work with that beautiful Osage.
When you take the bark and sapwood off be sure to seal the back very good. Osage like to get drying checks very quickly. Overnight or less.
Bjrogg
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Thanks bj. I was planning on using the steam for the hickory and my draw knife for the Osage. I sealed the ends with polyurethane already to try and keep them from checking. Also covered them up with some drop cloths till I get back to them tomorrow. I’ll take the bark and sapwood off them seal them up good before I tuck them away. I’ll know more about them after I get the bark and sapwood off but they look good to me. Hopefully I won’t find a bunch of knots underneath.
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Very nice looking haul on the Osage.
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Try peeling the bark off the osage. It may come off easy.
That is some beautiful osage! :OK
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Tried that Pat. It kinda sorta came off but seemed like it left the sapwood. I’ll try again tomorrow and see if at least some of them might cooperate. Much rather do that then use a draw knife.
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It will leave the sapwood and you'll have to remove the sapwood with a draw knife.
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Drool!
Musky, That's some seriously clean and straight looking osage. You are set to be pumping out some good bows over the next few years. Great score.
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Okay my question was answered before I asked it.. thanks Pat.
I got the bark to peel off on some of them and I noticed that there was some white wood left.. I left it there and put polyurethane on it. I got around 12 pieces done today, well part way anyhow, some were splits
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I’ve got several that don’t even have a single pin knot in it. It’s like most of the Osage I’ve been lucky enough to get in that it’s got some this and that stuff you don’t see till you get the bark off. Best stuff I’ve got so far.
Thanks Hamish, I’ve drooled over some of the stashes I’ve seen on here. Osage outlaw has a really impressive stash I saw on here
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You better get the sapwood off too or they could check along the back. Osage is bad about that...even after being sealed.
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Nice hawl. Very nice stash of Osage there mike.
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I remember reading that on here Pat. If I remember correctly the post said that the sapwood and heart wood dry at a different rate and will cause them to check. I’m going to continue to work on them till I get down to the orange wood. I just put the polyurethane on them to try to keep them from checking till I get the sapwood off. I’m going to work on them more tomorrow.
Thanks Dave. I decided to take care of the Osage first then I’m gonna get busy on the hickory. I should be set for staves for a while. Also have the Osage I harvested last year. It will be a year old end of September. I’m thinking I’ve got 6 or 8 of those. I’ll still keep an eye out for any really nice looking Osage trees. If I find the right one I’ll probably try to get it.
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Leave the bark on any stave you can't remove the bark and sapwood at the same time.
I lost a lot of fine osage early on by removing the bark and not the sapwood. The sapwood checked the staves from the back to the belly even though I sealed the back with 4 coats of shellac.
If you store your bark pealed staves in the sun they will check very quickly.
Here is an osage split that I tried to get away with only removing the bark. This split was stored in a crawlspace under my house where it is cool and damp, it didn't matter.
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Thanks Eric. I’m taking the sapwood off. I got 3 done this morning and I’ve got 3-4 more to go before I get back to the rest of it. I’ve been cheating a little bit. Using my chipping hammer. I sharpened the bit up and it worked great. I take the sapwood off till I see it starting to change color then finish it with my draw knife 😀
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Finished product
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What’s with these cracks down the left side of this stave?
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;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Musky, I love the chipping hammer. You really crack me up. Seems to do a good job. Thinking outside the box.
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Yes it does Hamish. Sure beats pulling your guts out. I’m to old I guess. I’m calling what I’ve got good enough
Still like to know if anyone knows what the lines/cracks are
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Probably not cracks but mineral stain lines, they don't hurt anything.
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Just a follow up about the steaming to get the bark off the hickory.. definitely works. I did 3 of them today and got a few more Osage done..
Here’s a picture of the stave I was working on. The upper part is what I get it down to with my chipping hammer and the lower part is once I start using the draw knife.
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Got a few more done today. Debarked and sealed. I was thinking today about my last Osage harvest and remembered a picture Eric Krewson posted back then about how hard it really is getting Osage out and prepped for storage. Had to find it so I could post it.
To funny Eric. And so true.
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I think the caption was something like; "When you cut too much osage you split the stuff until you pass out, when you come to return to splitting."
I used to cut as much osage as I could at one time, in the picture I filled about half my back yard with the stuff, I dragged it out of huge land clearing brush pile with a cable and my truck while the owners were lighting fire to the other end. I showed the owners one of my bows and they gave me permission to salvage the osage.
I worked on that osage for a month, my fingers and hands were swollen like sausages from all the drawknifing and I had to quit. I got most of it processed but did lose some to bugs and warping in the hot sun because I had enough.
After that debacle I never cut more than one tree at a time, I knew I could handle one large tree but not ten of them.
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I think the caption was something like; "When you cut too much osage you split the stuff until you pass out, when you come to return to splitting."
I used to cut as much osage as I could at one time, in the picture I filled about half my back yard with the stuff, I dragged it out of huge land clearing brush pile with a cable and my truck while the owners were lighting fire to the other end. I showed the owners one of my bows and they gave me permission to salvage the osage.
I worked on that osage for a month, my fingers and hands were swollen like sausages from all the drawknifing and I had to quit. I got most of it processed but did lose some to bugs and warping in the hot sun because I had enough.
After that debacle I never cut more than one tree at a time, I knew I could handle one large tree but not ten of them.
So true. Lol
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I remembered that picture while I was into about my 4th day working on this stuff. I wouldn’t even think about trying to harvest more than 1 or maybe 2 trees. I’d kinda forgotten how much work is involved in it from when I did it last year. Didn’t take to long to remember though. I laughed the first time I saw it when you sent it last year and again when I looked it up this year..
I’m going to take a few days away from it and bug spray the ones I haven’t gotten to yet.
What do you all think about a elb from this stave?
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Wow, that's quite a crown. I would be tempted to use the right side where it is flat if that would be wide enough. It appears to be straight enough.
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Thought about that TimBo. This tree was kinda strange it almost looked like two trees had grown
together. I split it down the two seams where it looked like the two had grown together. It was probably about 10 to 12 inches wide. I’ll take a closer look at it tomorrow. I think the other end has a more typical grain.. I just thought it might make a elb but, probably just see if I can make a flat bow with it. Weird looking though..
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Man I’m envious of you guys that can get Osage. I cut a split a hickory log today and debarked it and it a serious propeller twist. In my neck of the woods it’s so hard to get good bow wood
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Razorback. Ya it’s sucks we can’t get Osage up here either. But if you have access to hickory you are in good shape to make a bow that shoots just as well and perform equal to pretty much anything out there. I find a fair bit of hickory and have preferred shagbark hickory. It does get twists sometimes but Osage does as well. There are “magical” things that can be done with with hickory over fire.
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There’s a guy named Dan Santana that rate’s his top 10 bow woods and he puts hickory first and Osage second. The hickory I just harvested has propeller twist in every piece of it.. My Osage from last year had a lot of knots humps and not very good rings. So I guess my point is there’s no perfect stave..
I do like the fact I have access to Osage but like Dave said hickory is really good wood too and fire hardening makes it even better..
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You have to study the bark on any bow wood before you harvest to be sure it doesn't have prop twist. The twist will show up in the bark too.
How long is that osage stave? Any chance of removing that end and still have enough to get a bow? If not I think I would try to center the bow tip in the center of that hump. Osage can take the high crown and I may only be at the outer limb.
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Pat that shape runs most of the length of the stave. Half or more anyway. I’m not worried about it right now I ended up with 13 full sized staves and 9 billets out of my Osage. Most are really nice. Also have 6-8 pretty good hickory staves cleaned up.
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Here’s the Osage, I’ve got a few that weren’t great as you can see on the top of the pile.
And you can see that the hickory has some twist to it. I’ll choose wiser next time I cut one.
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Looks good mike! Lots of work there
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Thanks Dave. Lots of work involved in getting these staves done for sure. Going to be a while before I take the leap to get more. Funny thing though, I checked the moisture in the Osage and all I checked were 20 % or under and I checked one of the hickory and it was 30%. I’ve still got the nice piece of hickory I got from you. I have a bow laid out on it so it might be my next project.
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Nice. Post your progress here when you get going on it. That stick should get you a nice bow. No pressure haha! Based on what I’ve been seeing you post here last little bit you shouldn’t have any issues. Hickory is pretty forgiving. Hit me up when you get going on it if you need help or another set of eyes.
Dave
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Will do, thanks