Tight ringed osage

[Danzn Bar]

Those are really tight rings.   Here's a stave I'm planning on working into a sinew backed recurve this winter.

[Gsulfridge]

Here is a tight ringed stave that may become a bow shortly.

[Gsulfridge]

Then there's this one. The rings are so wide that inside the late wood ring is tiny circles of early wood. .  .  . What the heck ?

[wood_bandit 99]

Then there's this one. The rings are so wide that inside the late wood ring is tiny circles of early wood. .  .  . What the heck ?

Lol those look the same as my first two bows. I wonder if you can get them wide enough if it is as good as slow growth osage  be a cool thing to try   

[Carson (CMB)]

Then there's this one. The rings are so wide that inside the late wood ring is tiny circles of early wood. .  .  . What the heck ?

You got early wood in your late wood, that is no good!    Just kidding, I think that is what some people call the lunar rings, as opposed to the annual growth rings.  Whether or not it is related to the moon phase, I guess you get bursts of growth at intervals during the late wood growth.  I have seen that in osage too.

Clint that is some tight ringed osage!  Is it branch?  Did that thing grow in a cave or what? 

[osage outlaw]

Carson, that was a small dead tree that I cut this spring.  I have been trying to cut some dead standing trees to experiment with.  I have a lot of trees that look ancient but are small diameter.  Maybe I'll cut a few next year and try to chase a micro ring. 

[osage outlaw]

Actually Carson, that is high elevation osage.  It only grows in the mountains on the east coast of Indiana 

[Poggins]

I'll play along , got two new places to cut osage last spring and they run from wide rings to tight rings , some of them on the same log , center pith of the trees were off center leaving wide rings on one side tight on the other . The first one is down to floor tiller and waiting to season better.

[osage outlaw]

That looks like some good stuff Poggins

[Carson (CMB)]

Actually Carson, that is high elevation osage.  It only grows in the mountains on the east coast of Indiana 

Ohhh yeahh, that is the good stuff right there 

[Danzn Bar]

The stave pic I posted was the first osage I ever cut. It was in the woods, about 7-8" in diameter,  I'm sure it was competing with all the other trees and brush around it. hence the slow growing and tight rings.   The first bows I made were from this tree, two unbacked bows and two bows backed with linen and they all have lifted a splinter.  Three of the four failed to the point of no return.  The only one that has survived was a 25# @ 25" bow I made for my wife.  It splintered under the linen but is still shooting.  Could be because it is 66" long with a 25" long draw.  Another bow I backed with linen from this tree I posted on here a while back with a lot of natural reflex,  It was very snappy with good cast and a smooth draw to it.  Shot it a bunch for a few months, I guess I had 400 arras through her.  I thought it was good until it raised a splinter under the linen, then it was finished.

I'm hoping I've gotten better at tillering and chasing a ring since those bows, I plan to sinew back a recurve from the same tree this winter.  If this doesn't work I think I'm giving up on the tree and will give away the rest of the staves to someone else for a challenge.

 

[Pappy]

Them last pictures is just how I like them,it is all about the ratio to me,as long as the early growth is very fine I don't really care about the thinness of the summer growth.I like it pretty fine[maybe not quite that fine Clint] but It seems to make a snapper bow as Pat said. If the rings are fine and the ratio is bad I would go for a lighter weight bow and probably back with rawhide,maybe go a little longer and wider also.
 Pappy

[missilemaster]

Clint,  Thin rings are only desirable if they contain little spring growth. Your stave looks to me like it has mostly early wood. If you do build something with it, I would definetly back it with something, A few courses of sinew would probably make it a snappy little bow!  Take care.

[Parnell]

I've never seen them that thin, Clint.  I love the thin ringed stuff, though.  I'll look forward to seeing the bow, you gotta post that one up and let us know it is this piece.

[Tom Leemans]

I have one that I'm going to back with rawhide. It's a quick selfbow.