Thin ringed osage???

[Adam Keiper]

If that stave was carefully chased to the back ring shown in the picture, it will be fine unbacked.  I wouldn't push any stress limits though.  If not and you have to use one of those rings in the spongy section as the back, absolutely rawhide back it.  I think 1/32" for osage growth rings is about the threshold for keeping a bow unbacked. 

[Coo-wah-chobee]

       Probably the reason we see mostly thick ringed hedge as superior bows is because thats what most foks use. Have seen foks that throw thin ringed in firepit or cut up fer firewood. A real shame in my opinion. I would agree with Adam that ya need at least 1/32 " ring on back. Lennie (tom Sawyer) gave a more complete answer about bendy handle d- bows. Yes, more wood workin'. Ta each his own I guess............bob

[Ryano]

I like moderately thin rings as well. (1/8th - 1/16th")
The thicker growth ringed wood hasn't performed quite as good for me either Bob. It seems to take more set.

[bowmo]

Funny things can very from tree to tree and state to state. I still prefer as thick as the rings can be, as I have had the opposite results. All my better bows are from thicker ringed wood, generally holding more reflex than others. Lets be sure to get one thing straight though, I will try and make a bow out of any piece of osage no matter what the rings look like. I just end up backing the thin ringed ones is all.

[bcbull]

like tom sawyer and jewage say  keep goin and i very much agree back it with sinew  and make ur limbs a lil wider  iv done several of em that way  goood luck

[Mark Smeltzer]

You are right Dan, Osage and Yew are completly different when it come to ring violations and what is prefered as far as ring thickness goes. 
With Osage I  prefer thicker late wood  rings and thin early wood.  Thin late wood rings usally make the early wood late wood ratio go towards more early wood, because the early wood ring is usually not proportionatly thinner.
Also I personally try not to back any of my stave bows......so to me, if this was the stave I was working with, I would just chase a ring.
The comparison to yew was just meant to say, thin rings are harder but with the right tools in the right light and some time on your hands it is no big deal.

Mark

[Pappy]

What Ryan said,I like the thin rings as long as the spring growth is very thin also.They
seem to perform better and stabilize quicker and keep what ever you do to them.You
just have to take more time chasing the ring.
    Pappy

[DanaM]

Here's a solution to this question. You folks that don't like thin ringed osage send it all to me and those that don't like the
thick ringed stuff can also send it to me. See simple solution eh Seems that you guys have way to much osage down south
come up north where osage is rarer than frogs hair after awhile you will appreciate any and all osage.