Why I think osage is an inferior bow wood...

[steve b.]

I look at osage as a premier hunting bow material but for bowyering it's a beginner's wood.

[blackhawk]

    

Awesome pappy

[Pappy]

Thanks Chris,I thought you might like that. steve b. I hope you are just trying to stir the pot and really don't believe that.   
   Pappy

[Will H]

LONG LIVE THE KING!

[iowabow]

Yes osage is amazing....lets keep this post going!!!!!

[blackhawk]

I look at osage as a premier hunting bow material but for bowyering it's a beginner's wood.

Ok..I'll bite...

So if your serious please explain further why you think this. That's a pretty general vague statement that can be interpreted ten different ways or more. So tell us about your experiences with osage and other bow woods and why you feel this way? Like how much osage have you harvested,how many osage bows have you made compared to using other woods,and how many times have you made bows out of those other woods? And of those bows how many woukd you say will last a good while thru every weather and environmental abuses,yet still cast a good arrow. Id like to know how much your grain of salt weighs.

[Will H]

I look at osage as a premier hunting bow material but for bowyering it's a beginner's wood.

Ok..I'll bite...

So if your serious please explain further why you think this. That's a pretty general vague statement that can be interpreted ten different ways or more. So tell us about your experiences with osage and other bow woods and why you feel this way? Like how much osage have you harvested,how many osage bows have you made compared to using other woods,and how many times have you made bows out of those other woods? And of those bows how many woukd you say will last a good while thru every weather and environmental abuses,yet still cast a good arrow. Id like to know how much your grain of salt weighs.

Yes do tell

[adb]

I look at osage as a premier hunting bow material but for bowyering it's a beginner's wood.

Ok..I'll bite...

So if your serious please explain further why you think this. That's a pretty general vague statement that can be interpreted ten different ways or more. So tell us about your experiences with osage and other bow woods and why you feel this way? Like how much osage have you harvested,how many osage bows have you made compared to using other woods,and how many times have you made bows out of those other woods? And of those bows how many woukd you say will last a good while thru every weather and environmental abuses,yet still cast a good arrow. Id like to know how much your grain of salt weighs.

Yes do tell


Yup... I'm all ears too. Enlighten us.

[Keenan]

Pappy, Pappy, Pappy,,,,,,,,,,,,,,   I can see I am going to have send you some more  KING YEW!  All kidding aside I do believe the two tops woods are Yew and Osage,,,,,, But we all know there is only one Top Dog....

[toomanyknots]

I look at osage as a premier hunting bow material but for bowyering it's a beginner's wood.

Ok..I'll bite...

So if your serious please explain further why you think this. That's a pretty general vague statement that can be interpreted ten different ways or more. So tell us about your experiences with osage and other bow woods and why you feel this way? Like how much osage have you harvested,how many osage bows have you made compared to using other woods,and how many times have you made bows out of those other woods? And of those bows how many woukd you say will last a good while thru every weather and environmental abuses,yet still cast a good arrow. Id like to know how much your grain of salt weighs.

Yes do tell


Yup... I'm all ears too. Enlighten us.

Obviously, I would assume he meant the wood is more forgiving to poor tillering and beginners mistakes, making it an over all easier wood to get a shooter out of than other woods for a beginner. Which it is. 

[Pappy]

Maybe that is what he meant. But I can tell you I have been involved with a whole lot of beginners  100's and if you give them a piece of  a piece of white wood/Hickory/Elm/Hackberry/HHB and most other white woods they can make a bow that will shoot on the first try with minimal supervision,Osage on the other
hand, they will be overwhelmed from the start and you had better keep a close eye on them all the way through the process. O sure if you get it  de barked,a ring chased laid out floor tillered and straightened and give it to them it all steam ahead.  :)But all of that comes from experence not what a beginner knows how to do with out experence,thust the word beginner. 
   Pappy

[blackhawk]

Maybe that is what he meant. But I can tell you I have been involved with a whole lot of beginners  100's and if you give them a piece of  a piece of white wood/Hickory/Elm/Hackberry/HHB and most other white woods they can make a bow that will shoot on the first try with minimal supervision,Osage on the other
hand, they will be overwhelmed from the start and you had better keep a close eye on them all the way through the process. O sure if you get it  de barked,a ring chased laid out floor tillered and straightened and give it to them it all steam ahead.  :)But all of that comes from experence not what a beginner knows how to do with out experence,thust the word beginner. 
   Pappy

Now that's a heavy grain of salt right there  ....

[Keenan]

"I can tell you I have been involved with a whole lot of beginners  100's "

 Pappy you certainly have inspired allot of beginners and the heritage and skills you are passing down is an inspiration to all bowyers I know many will hold the memories of the Twin Oaks dear to their hearts for a life time.

[toomanyknots]

Maybe that is what he meant. But I can tell you I have been involved with a whole lot of beginners  100's and if you give them a piece of  a piece of white wood/Hickory/Elm/Hackberry/HHB and most other white woods they can make a bow that will shoot on the first try with minimal supervision,Osage on the other
hand, they will be overwhelmed from the start and you had better keep a close eye on them all the way through the process. O sure if you get it  de barked,a ring chased laid out floor tillered and straightened and give it to them it all steam ahead.  :)But all of that comes from experence not what a beginner knows how to do with out experence,thust the word beginner. 
   Pappy

True. Just guessin anyway.

[okie64]

Alright ive stayed out of this so far but i cant hold back any longer. To say that osage is a beginners wood is about as ridiculous a statement as ive ever heard. Kinda like pappy said if someone else does all the hard work and then hands a beginner a floor tillered stave then it is easy. To me cutting the tree, splitting the staves, debarking and removing sapwood and trying to keep the wood from checking is all part of the bowyering process. If you think osage is the easiest wood to accomplish all that with then you've obviously never tried it.