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Author Topic: osage red streak  (Read 3371 times)

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Offline Carson (CMB)

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osage red streak
« on: April 23, 2012, 07:00:26 pm »
Hey osage guys, what do you think about red streaks?
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"The bow is the old first lyre,
the mono chord, the initial rune of fine art
The humanities grew out from archery as a flower from a seed
No sooner did the soft, sweet note of the bow-string charm the ear of genius than music was born, and from music came poetry and painting and..." Maurice Thompso

Offline toomanyknots

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Re: osage red streak
« Reply #1 on: April 23, 2012, 07:19:01 pm »
Redder Osage that is darker with more red streaks seems to be more denser and better stuff than lighter "highlighter" yellow colored osage. At the same time if it is just one ring that is dark red instead of red streaks through out the whole wood, that happens to me almost everytime I cut osage no matter what quality of osage it is. Alot of times I will use that red steak as the ring I split a belly split off, or at least the excess belly wood on the stave, I don't typically cut anything big enough for a belly split stave, lol. Not until I upgrade from my 12 dollar handsaw that is.
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"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline Carson (CMB)

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Re: osage red streak
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2012, 07:36:40 pm »
I guess I am nervous about red streaks after reading Torges Hunting the Osage Bow.  His hunting buddy's first bow misses weight partly due to the red streak, according to Torges.  Like I said this is only my second osage bow.  Would be great if it is nothing to worry about and is in fact a good thing!
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"The bow is the old first lyre,
the mono chord, the initial rune of fine art
The humanities grew out from archery as a flower from a seed
No sooner did the soft, sweet note of the bow-string charm the ear of genius than music was born, and from music came poetry and painting and..." Maurice Thompso

Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: osage red streak
« Reply #3 on: April 23, 2012, 07:45:39 pm »
JUNK. All my staves have those red streaks in them, I can barely get a bow from it................burn it while your ahead.....or send it to me....your choice >:D.  You will find red streaked, darker wood makes thee best bows. It will require less wood to make a bow and it will take on less set when properly cared for.
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Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline Adam

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Re: osage red streak
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2012, 07:51:00 pm »
I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I thought that was just a normal feature of osage.  I don't have extensive osage experience by any stretch of the imagination, but those streaks have been in all the staves I've dealt with.  Maybe I just got lucky, but I totally ignored it and haven't had any problems yet.
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: osage red streak
« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2012, 07:52:04 pm »
I believe its a male/female thing Adam. Not %100 on that.
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Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline DarkSoul

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Re: osage red streak
« Reply #6 on: April 23, 2012, 08:00:37 pm »
Those red streaks are just natural variation in the wood. Nothing to worry about! Just make them a feature in the bow.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2012, 09:51:22 pm by Marc St Louis »
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Ovid, Metamorphoses VI-286

Offline Carson (CMB)

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Re: osage red streak
« Reply #7 on: April 23, 2012, 08:13:10 pm »
Ok, sounds like everybody is in agreement that it is nothing to mind.  The way Torges talks about it, sounds like it sometimes is a good thing and other times it spells bow death. 
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"The bow is the old first lyre,
the mono chord, the initial rune of fine art
The humanities grew out from archery as a flower from a seed
No sooner did the soft, sweet note of the bow-string charm the ear of genius than music was born, and from music came poetry and painting and..." Maurice Thompso

Offline Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive

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Re: osage red streak
« Reply #8 on: April 23, 2012, 08:24:30 pm »
yup red streaks are a good thing.  I have found if you can find the elusive, all red osage staves, those are the best. and i mean reddish color even when cut fresh, not bright yellow
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Formerly "twistedlimbs"
Gill's Primitive Archery and HuntPrimitive

Offline toomanyknots

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Re: osage red streak
« Reply #9 on: April 23, 2012, 08:34:36 pm »
Quote from: twistedlimbs on April 23, 2012, 08:24:30 pm
yup red streaks are a good thing.  I have found if you can find the elusive, all red osage staves, those are the best. and i mean reddish color even when cut fresh, not bright yellow

I SECOND THAT. All the osage up here outside on cinci is yellow. All I can find anyhow. Hit up some guy from kentucky a couple years ago though, went down there and cut some of his osage. It was red when cut and was like wooden steel. Trying to brace the bow I made was like trying to brace a sinewed bow, and the bow only had like 1" reflex if that. You know that thing where a 50# bow will stretch a non stretchy (like linen) over build warbow quality string till your fingers are stuck and your crying for your wife to help you?  ;D I cut threw a knot though and the bow blew on the tiller. It was night and day different in looks and feel than the stuff I cut. The osage down there didn't seem to get as big as it does here for some reason? Or could of just been younger stuff, but the sapwood was very thin for young wood, like 1/4" or smaller on the small diameter tree I cut.
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"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline grinner

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Re: osage red streak
« Reply #10 on: April 23, 2012, 09:38:36 pm »
I just chased a ring on an osage stave and it is 50% red didnt really know what it meant though, i guess i will have to cut some more trees and see how red they are.
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Offline osage outlaw

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Re: osage red streak
« Reply #11 on: April 23, 2012, 09:39:31 pm »
I find osage with red streaks every now and then.  I think it just adds some character.  It seems to stay in the same growth ring, then skip a ring or two and then show up again.
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Offline toomanyknots

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Re: osage red streak
« Reply #12 on: April 24, 2012, 07:23:53 pm »
Here's some I cut recently, (and am about to throw a bit of this same stuff up on the trade forum if anyone is interested,  >:D >:D >:D) :

   











Thats what the red streaks il look like. But it ain't like the wooden steel I cut down in kentucky a while back. The whole thing was a darker orange fresh cut, and very dense.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2012, 07:57:29 pm by toomanyknots »
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"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: osage red streak
« Reply #13 on: April 24, 2012, 09:38:49 pm »
Red streaks are not a problem in osage. :) Jawge
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If you ain't breakin' you ain't makin!

Offline PeteC

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Re: osage red streak
« Reply #14 on: April 24, 2012, 11:08:45 pm »
I like em too,and they are pretty when on the back of the bow. God Bless
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What you believe determines how you behave., Pete Clayton, Whitehouse ,Texas
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