Osage quality

[Stick Bender]

Hi Fellas  I was just thinking about quality of Osage I spent a large part of my summer bow work chasing rings & ruffing bows on multiple osage staves and as I was doing it I was noticing how different the colors & textures where from woods from different states most of my staves came from Indiana & Mo. & saplings from W Virginia I was wondering if you guys notice any difference in quality from state to state I noticed that Hosier Hedge seemed to be Denser & darker in quality and Mo. Hedge seemed softer even grained & bright yellow the sampling hedge seemed to be the tougher wood of all  I know it's been discussed here about ring thickness & such but haven't seen any threads on regional climates & quality if any ? They will all will make make nice bows I'm sure.

[Badger]

  I started a thread on this once. There wasn't much of a consensus. I had shown a preference for wood coming from Ohio, Tenn, and southern Michigan. I had also noticed that Missouri wood seemed softer.

[BowEd]

Stickbender....I tell ya I like it when I see the early wood while chasing a ring as a finer honey combed type look.
Saplings seem to be pretty stout most times too.
Like you said it's a pretty fine line to split yet though.Even the poorer type hedge makes a decent bow if made wider or longer.Good and dry and letting it season a bit.
Chasing a ring on a stave that's been been setting 30 years can tell ya something that's for sure.Pretty darn hard.The edges will cut ya like a knife too.
I just cut some off my fence row here in Iowa and chased the rings.We get red streaks in some of ours here occasionally.It all turns dark eventually though.

[Eric Krewson]

I have cut a lot of osage over the years, perhaps 250 staves worth possibly more, I have given away so much osage it impossible to know the final tally.

I don't think it is a state thing but a location and growing condition thing, one piece of land will provide the dream stuff we always want, 20 miles away the osage may be soft and chalky.

Although never noted, I suspect there are subspecies of osage, I see too much variance in bark and configuration for there not to be.

[wapiti1997]

There are male and female osage trees, that is a difference for sure.  Growing conditions probably make more of a difference than anything in ring ratios and densities IMO.

[osage outlaw]

I think soil condition has a lot to do with the quality of an osage tree.  I've got a hillside on my property that has mostly ancient, tight ringed osage trees that aren't worth cutting unless you needed fire wood.  The next hillside over has beautiful thick ringed trees.  Both are facing the same direction.  Both receive the same amount of sun and rain. The soil is different on them.  The tight ringed trees are growing on a mixture of light colored clay dirt and rocks.  The thick ringed trees are growing in rich dark colored soil.   

[Selfbowman]

Outlaw I think you are right. Red River osage is mostly dark red and thin ringed. Good wood if early ring is not to thick.this is a red clay type soil. I cut east of Austin 250 miles south in black clay and the rings are thicker and better early to late ratio . Rain ,wind and climate in general seam to have a lot to do with it also.  All Osage seams to be the king to me though. Arvin

[upstatenybowyer]

I'll chime in to give a more northerly experience. Although not native to NY, we do have osage. I've cut staves from about 6 different locations. Some has been primo and some not so much. The good soil explanation seems to hold true. I pay a lot of attention to soil type/quality whenever I'm in the woods cause it makes such a difference with mushroom hunting (another passion of mine). The best staves have come from trees in dark, rich and loamy soil. All the sub-par stuff was growing in clay close to a major road where it no doubt gets bombarded with salt and pollution.

[wapiti1997]

Ring thickness is totally due to growth rate, soils can limit that growth but it is mostly due to the canopy or amount of leaf surface the tree has.  If it is not shaded by other trees, has part of it's crown in full sun, it will have thick rings.  If it is overtaken by other trees and closed in, it may have thick rings in the middle but the outside will be very thin.

The chalky "early" wood ring is IMO the result of the tree growing when the leaves are off.  So mild winters and warm springs may increase the thickness of those rings. 

[Danzn Bar]

Good info Joe.....
DBar

[SLIMBOB]

The little I find here in the hill country defies what I would expect.  Very calcareous soil and limited moisture so marginal growing conditions, but it has all been thick ringed and very average quality at best.  But usable.  I have come across some decent stuff east of Austin around Grainger, Taylor and east, but mixed results overall.  North Texas along the Red River has yielded good wood as has some of the shelter breaks out east of Lubbock. 

[Danzn Bar]

After seeing all of these posts and I've seen a few osage staves myself....And I would have to say the best staves I've seen have come from southern Indiana and central Kentucky......Osage Outlaw has had some of the best staves I've worked with...........Just one mans opinion ..but I think osage is the king of bow wood anyway..............
DBar

[Stick Bender]

I would have to agree with the southeren Indiana Hedge Danz B its some of the best in my hord, I'm hunting this year with a bow from it , just seems to be harder & darker then most I have 2,primo staves from there put away tell my skills are up to it, I would never Question the royalty of hedge,  ( HAIL THE KING)  but that seems to be the best I have seen so far.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Indiana gets my vote. Its all good, but Indy grows the best IMO.

[bradsmith2010]

I have a friend that has cut some in north TExas,, really nice quality,, probably due to the growing conditions,,
seems I have had pretty good luck with osage from lots of different stated, the wood I cut in Tenn was very nice too,,
creek bottom stuff, maybe i am not that picky,, I just love osage,, well ok , I love any good bow wood stave,,