fresh cut osage stave

[sadiejane]

went to visit a bud and he gave me some staves.
he hadnt been able to find any hickory and wanted some.
so i took him my straightest, knot free piece of hickory.
well, i totally scored!
got three in return.
one osage, one oak, and one ash.
they were all cut and split just a few weeks ago.
the osage still has the bark on.
should i go ahead and remove bark and sapwood?
will post pix of the oak piece later. it has beautiful straight grain.
but i have no clue where to start when its ready to go...
only ever made bows outta osage.
(well, do have one hickory in the works)
thanks!

edited to add:
if i do remove bark and sapwood do i need to seal the back?

[PEARL DRUMS]

I would take the bark and sapwood off, then of course seal the heck out of it. I dont always peel and seal, it depends on how many staves I have. If you have one, I would jump all over it Sadie.

[Pat B]

I think I'd let the osage sit another few weeks to get an initial drying them remove the bark and sapwood and seal it well. If they haven't alreasy been sealed be sure to seal the ends of all of the staves now. On the oak and ash remove the bark and seal the back and ends.
  I like to use shellac to seal staves. It works well, can take steam and heat and is easy to remove later if needed. BTW, almost any finish can be applied over shellac.

[sadiejane]

the ash and oak already have the bark removed.
the oak is actually just a stave cut outta HUGE tree
i know the ends are sealed. should i seal the entire piece of oak?

the oak has lovely straight grain the entire length.


the osage has some nice rings, a bit of a warp at one end.
might be possible to split and get two bows outta this piece

sorry pat, i jumped right in before i read yr post.
got it sealed well with a spray urethane i had in the shop.
will give it a cupla more coats.
lovely albeit chilly(46 when i got up) morning.
nice morning for a little fire in the backyard and some wood shaving

debarked and sealed


thanks guys
i will most definitely be back with more ?s when i sit down with that piece of oak

[blackhawk]

There's two bows in that Osage for sure. And two in the ash.

[sadiejane]

really wish i had taken pix while at kirks house. earlier this year he and i got together and started talking bows. i never knew he'd made bows years ago.  we've been old knife making buds for years. he brought out two lovely sinew backed bows he'd made 20 yrs ago. with nothing but reginald and gladys laubins book, american indian archery. he'd never seen a selfbow nor knew anyone who made em at the time. he's been hunting with his own bows for all those years. but had stopped a cupla yrs ago. dont know how this never came up between us....anyhoos he saw one of my bows and we got to talking and he got inspired to pick up where he'd left off.
stopped by his place yesterday to deliver a hickory stave i'd promised him(he lives about 3 hrs away) and he had staves and wood everywhere! at least a dozen osage staves, maybe two dozen oak ones and two huge oak logs waiting to be split. and another dozen ash. he also had a pile of cane in the shop drying. the man is obsessed! i love it!
while we were checking out staves and talking bows and doing a little target shooting, his wife came out with a fresh loaf of homemade bread(and she sent me home with one). gotta get down there and visit more often.

[fishfinder401]

sounds great, can i come too ? 
noel

[George Tsoukalas]

Sadie, I don't think anyone answered about the oak. I would not seal the back of it just the ends. Jawge

[sadiejane]

Sadie, I don't think anyone answered about the oak. I would not seal the back of it just the ends. Jawge

cool-thanks george