« previous next »
Pages: [1] 2

Author Topic: Trash or Treasure? (Pile of osage gold)  (Read 3710 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Matt Heppe

  • Member
  • Posts: 109
    • Eternal Knight
Trash or Treasure? (Pile of osage gold)
« on: August 12, 2013, 05:12:47 pm »
A buddy of mine owns a landscaping company. I put him on the lookout for good bow wood - especially osage. In Eastern PA we don't have a lot of osage. What we have was planted by farmers 150 years or more ago. Well... he showed up today with....



12" diameter, straight as an arrow, 7 1/2 feet long.

The downside is that the wood is somewhat damaged. The bark around 90% of the trunk was rotten and easily pulled away. There was a lot of bug larvae underneath.



On the bright side the damage appears to be very shallow.



So do I have trash or treasure? How do I best preserve this log? I was going to take off the soft wood, split it in quarters, shellac it, and put it in my shed. Good? Bad?

Thanks for your help!
« Last Edit: September 02, 2013, 11:36:53 am by Matt Heppe »
Logged
Eternal Knight: where I write about writing, do book reviews, and display my novice bows.

Offline Gus

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,829
  • It's Time To Make Some Shavings!
Re: Trash or Treasure?
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2013, 05:25:43 pm »
Treasure!
No Doubt...

It won't be perfect obviously, but it will be worth your while to skin the staves down to good rings and make Bows outa them.

The Wood Bugs here in Houston have about twice the warm weather in which to work their Nastiness.
Yet if that log were laying on my driveway I'd get after it with Wedge, Sledge and Draw Knife.

I would still seal the ends and Backs of the staves once you get them cleaned up as if it were still green, as it will still need to season a bit...

Regards,

-gus
Logged
"I taught him archery everyday, and when he got good at it he throw an arrow at me."

Conroe, TX

Offline Joec123able

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,769
Re: Trash or Treasure? (Big osage log)
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2013, 05:26:25 pm »
Treasure
Logged
I like osage

Offline Poggins

  • Member
  • Posts: 467
Re: Trash or Treasure? (Big osage log)
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2013, 05:32:01 pm »
There are some bows there , they may be snaky and have knots in them.
Look at your knots and if there is a side that you can get one or two clean staves out split them out first , you can strip the bark and early wood off after you split it , seal the ends now .
How long is it?
You can split though the big knots and leave the smaller ones in the staves .
Logged

Offline Matt Heppe

  • Member
  • Posts: 109
    • Eternal Knight
Re: Trash or Treasure? (Big osage log)
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2013, 05:48:51 pm »
How much time to I have? The tree was 2/3 down by wind for a year, but still mostly alive. It was cut today. Do I need to split and seal it tonight? Or will a day or two not do it any harm?

Logged
Eternal Knight: where I write about writing, do book reviews, and display my novice bows.

Offline osage outlaw

  • Member
  • Posts: 11,964
Re: Trash or Treasure? (Big osage log)
« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2013, 05:55:00 pm »
Seal the ends with several coats of poly, shellac, or something similar.  I would split it in half or quarters and then on down into staves when you have the time.  If there are bugs in it you might want to drawknife if down until you remove the damage.  You could also spray the log down good with some insect killer.  How hot does your shed get?  If it gets pretty hot in there it might make it check worse. 

You don't have to rush to split it.  I've harvested staves from trees that were cut and laying in a creek bed for over 5 years.  The wood below the bug damage was good to go.
Logged
I started out with nothin' and I still got most of it left

Offline Gus

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,829
  • It's Time To Make Some Shavings!
Re: Trash or Treasure? (Big osage log)
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2013, 06:04:09 pm »
Seal the Ends and any Green living sapwood that is exposed Now.

Then Split, Skin, Peal and seal it as time allows.

The sooner you get it split, the faster it will dry.
But you have plenty of time on the splitting.
But the Bugs will work on it as long as the Bark is intact, or there are live larvae in the wood...

Best to get the Bark, sapwood and bug damage off as soon as time allows
where the bugs are concerned.
And seal the Backs of each stave as you finish getting down to good healthy Yella Wood.
Wouldn't hurt to put another coat of glue or paint on the ends when you seal the backs...

-gus
Logged
"I taught him archery everyday, and when he got good at it he throw an arrow at me."

Conroe, TX

Offline warpath

  • Member
  • Posts: 365
Re: Trash or Treasure? (Big osage log)
« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2013, 06:42:18 pm »
That's definitely trash!!! Send it to me and I'll dispose of it properly for you.  >:D

  G
Logged

Offline TEE TAW

  • Member
  • Posts: 16
Re: Trash or Treasure? (Big osage log)
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2013, 06:46:25 pm »
better seal it asap
Logged

Offline Hillbilly

  • Member
  • Posts: 8,248
  • I like tater tots.
Re: Trash or Treasure? (Big osage log)
« Reply #9 on: August 12, 2013, 07:42:49 pm »
I wouldn't toss any osage unless it's really nasty. Your log, IMO, is a bunch of mediocre wood with maybe some really good staves in the middle. To me, it looks like the best part is definitelyin the very center of it. On the outer parts, the earlywood/latewood ratio is pretty even, but it's a lot denser down in the middle of the log. I think your "piggyback" staves will be the best ones.
Logged
Smoky Mountains, NC

NeolithicHillbilly@gmail.com

Progress might have been all right once but it's gone on for far too long.

Offline Danzn Bar

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,166
Re: Trash or Treasure? (Big osage log)
« Reply #10 on: August 12, 2013, 07:54:28 pm »
Might be a few belly split staves in that log.  Blackhawk would pitch it in the camp fire.  >:D ;)
Logged
Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking

Offline Postman

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,154
Re: Trash or Treasure? (Big osage log)
« Reply #11 on: August 12, 2013, 08:16:26 pm »
Congrats on getting that log, looks like you have a lot of sealing to do. You can mix shellac 50-50 with denatured alcohol to stretch it, and it goes on easier IMHO.
Logged
"Leave the gun....Take the cannoli"

John Poster -  Western VA

Offline Matt Heppe

  • Member
  • Posts: 109
    • Eternal Knight
Re: Trash or Treasure? (Big osage log)
« Reply #12 on: August 12, 2013, 08:18:39 pm »
Thanks for all the help. I pulled off the bark and sealed the ends and the green exposed wood. My shed is in the shade and doesn't get too hot. although air circulation isn't great. I'll have to wait a week or so for the splitting and complete removal of the dead wood.

Logged
Eternal Knight: where I write about writing, do book reviews, and display my novice bows.

Offline rps3

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,514
Re: Trash or Treasure? (Big osage log)
« Reply #13 on: August 12, 2013, 09:22:15 pm »
If I have osage where the bark is off, I also remove the sapwood. Word is it checks very easy, and I dont take the chance.
Logged

Offline Badly Bent

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,750
Re: Trash or Treasure? (Big osage log)
« Reply #14 on: August 12, 2013, 09:26:52 pm »
Send me a belly split stave Matt and I'll get back to ya with a opinion of the quality.  ;D
Logged
I ain't broke but I'm badly bent.
Pages: [1] 2
« previous next »