Brittle osage

[sleek]

Anyone ever come across some osage that seems very brittle and more likely to crack and break into pieces than make the nice long splits it makes when chasing a ring or reducing it? I have a few that are doing that and am concerned about what kind of bow it can make.

It also seems to be easier to snap pieces than bend them like normal.

[sleek]

I should add, its form a several hundred year old tree and the darkest red I ever saw osage age to...

[Badger]

  I would treat it like normal osage. It is probably very dry. If it doesn't work maybe it was just no good. I have thought the same thing before you are talking about and it always works out ok. 

[bradsmith2010]

maybe let it hydrate outside,,
and maybe start with overbuilt design at first,,
I will add, I just finished a bow from old stave very dark,,my sharp rasp was barely cut it, very rock hard,,made a nice bow with very thin rings,,

[sleek]

Thanks for the replies guys. It may be very dry, its been cut 3 years now. But its been kept inside since, so, never cooked in a car or anything. I will just carry on, but leave it wide, and dtop poindage a bit. Here is a pic of it. Its crazy dark, almost chocolate.

[bradsmith2010]

thats the color mine was,, beautiful,, bet it makes a great bow,,

[Eric Krewson]

Osage is osage, every piece is different, I have cut some that splits with no stringers green and some that you have to cut almost solid stringers with an ax to get it apart.

I have worked buttery wonderful osage and stuff that splintered so easily you have to work very slowly, always changing the direction I worked my drawknife when it started to splinter.

Yea, there is splintery stuff out there.