Osage sapling.. Firewood or not?

[make-n-break]

Well, I decided I go on a Sunday evening walkabout to look for a new stave. Was lookin for a nice white wood but stumbled across this Osage sapling. Mid 60's in length and about 4" diameter. It's pretty straight with a little center shot kicker and a few degrees of twist. Decided to work it down a little out here in the woods with my Schbolo. Hadn't been pecking at it for 10 minutes when I looked down and saw a massive crack had developed. It's a solid 6-8 inches long and all the way through right in the center of the limb. I can't chop it off.. It'll make the stave too short. Did I make some firewood before I even got it outa the woods?

[wizardgoat]

Hard to tell from the pics, still looks like there could be a bow in there to me.

[bradsmith2010]

just try it and see, that is the only way to know

[ajooter]

I've seen guys make bows from down right splinters on this forum I'm sure there's a bow in there 

[George Tsoukalas]

It doesn't take much osage to make a bow. I once made a  49# bow from a 1.25 inch osage sucker.

Can you remove the smaller portion of the spit part?

Jawge

[make-n-break]

Hmm...sounds like I should at least give it a shot! It's my first try with osage so I'm all ears. Jawge, I don't think I can remove the smaller portion because there was a large branch on the belly side near the upper handle area. It was about the diameter of a golf ball. I think if I try to split the small peice off I'll run into an issue when it gets to where the branch was.

[George Tsoukalas]

Will a drawknife work on it? If not glue it and clamp it. May be use a wood glue?

May be show some more pictures of the stave so we can see the rest of it.

Keep in mind you may need to leave some sapwood on the back to get a bow. Not a problem. In a sapling the sapwood is fairly new and usually sound.

On the last osage bow I made, when I chased a ring I ended up with several splits...actually they were wind shakes. None right through. Not a problem unless they go off the sides and these nearly did.

I removed the worse ones with a dknife. 2 or 3 still remained. I dribbled them with super glue and clamped them. The bow still works and I shot it for 3 years straight.

The hickory bow I just made had several drying cracks which I also superglued. The bow shoots well but I can't speak to longevity yet.

Just offering suggestions of things that have worked for me in the past.

Being a selfbowyer means ya learn how to fix things.

If it breaks, you know what I say.

If you ain't breakin' you ain't makin'!

Jawge

[George Tsoukalas]

Guess I can't see why you can't dknife that little split out. But you are the boss of your stave. Jawge

[blackhawk]

That check will be long gone after ya reduce it down to a bow blank...its way off to the side and not down the center of your limb as you say

[jimmy]

I have a 1" wide osage bow that is 60" TTT.  It pulls around 60#.  That is probably enough wood there.  1" is all you need.

[Josh B]

That check will be long gone after ya reduce it down to a bow blank...its way off to the side and not down the center of your limb as you say

+1.  Josh

[George Tsoukalas]

"+1, Josh"

How about a +1, Jawge?

I said the same thing 3 times above. LOL.

Jawge

[Pat B]

+1 Jawge! 

[Springbuck]

How wide are you planning to make the tips? an 8" sliver is nothing.  Shave it off and see what you still have.  My guess is that it would disappear anyway as you thin and narrow the limb. But cut it off, orit will give the stave an excuse to split further as it dries.

 If you have to, narrow and thicken the tips a tiny bit for stiffness and make a bendy handle bow.

[Josh B]

"+1, Josh"

How about a +1, Jawge?

I said the same thing 3 times above. LOL.

Jawge

Lol!  Sorry Jawge didn't mean to deny credit where credit was due.
+ 1 on what Jawge said!