Pictures added of Osage stave

[snag]

Here are some pictures of the stave.

[RidgeRunner]

If the stave is that size for its entire leinght then you have plenty of wood to split it like Frode suggested with the drawing he posted.

Clean the sides up so you can see the rings all the way from end to end on both sides.
Take a pincle and mark the ring you want to be the back of the belly stave.
Start you split at least one ring above the ring you want to be the back.  Two or three rings above if possible.

Drive two wedges into the end of it.  Making sure you follow the curve of the rings.  Once the end opens a bit drive small wedges into both sides of it.  Leap frog the weadges down the leinght of it.  GO SLOW. 

Once you get the belly stave off.  Clean the back of it up ( chace a ring ) and then seal the back of the belly stave.

I would also seal the belly side of the big stave.  Osage will often crack on a wide belly like you will have.
If this wood is good and dry you can also split the big stave if you would like.  If it is not dry let dry before splitting the big stave.

David

[snag]

Thanks David. The stave seems to be pretty dry. I'll have to split it to really know. It is 75" long and does have a little end checking. But with the length I can saw that off. On the other end I can go to 66" and it is 4" in width. The pictures are of the larger end. With 4" I should still have enough, won't I?

[Eric Krewson]

Don't shorten the length until you clean the back up and finish your core splitting. Osage always has a surprise waiting for you under the bark and sapwood, seldom a good one. You may need the extra length to work around a "surprise".

[snag]

Will do Eric. Thanks, David

[ohma]

what ridge wrote about cleaning up the sides and inspecting the rings is very true,i see alot of people buying staves after just looking at the ends. you can run into one of those big surprises that way to.