pic of the osage I got

[bjrogg]

I'm thinking you'd still have to split it first. I honestly don't know diddly about it. I had guy's tell me just throw it in the water to drown the bugs but I really have know how it'd work or even the proper way of doing it. I'm sure all the same work needs to be eventually done. If there's any advantage or disadvantages I couldn't say. I'd still try hard to do as many as I could how Eric discribed, but if you've got more than you can handle. It might not hurt to do some research and give it a try. Better than it all turning into firewood. If you do, let us know how to do it and if it works or fails. At any rate your going to very quickly need to get a good amount of sealer of some kind. I like shellac. It dries really fast. For sealing I don't even use brush. I just use a blue paper shop towel. Don't have to clean up brushes that way.

[nsherve]

It's probably gonna take a good amount of time to find out how it turns out. But, yea, I'll let folks know how it goes.

[Danzn Bar]

I don't know of anyone that has worked more Osage trees into staves than Osage Outlaw. Yes.... he is a friend of mind, but he knows his wood and I would trust him in his advise and he is very kind in providing his experience.
DBar

[bjrogg]

I agree 100 percent with dbar. The way Eric and Clint advised is still the way I'd try to go. It's all gotta be done anyway. There's a reason you don't see hundreds of people selling nice clean Osage Staves. It's a lot of work. Don't let that stop you though.
Bjrogg

[nsherve]

Osage Outlaw, is there a particular reason why you wouldn't try this?

[ohma2]

I would like to point out that no one is getting after you ,it is just the fact that good useable osage is a valuable thing to most on this site and no one wants to see it wasted.the advice you are given is pure noladge and just given to help you.

[osage outlaw]

We work at getting staves dry enough to work into a bow.  Soaking them in water just doesn't make sense to me.  Maybe the natives submerged them.  I'm sure they had a good reason at the time.  We have access to tools and supplies that they did not.  I see no beneficial reason to submerge a stave in water.  I have been giving some thought into submerging some blocks of osage in my pond to see if the mud and minerals leach any colors into it.  I will be doing this for knife scales. 

  When I cut an osage tree I take wood glue and seal the ends as soon as I shut off the chainsaw.  When I get the logs back to my yard I seal the ends a second time.  I like to cut larger diameter trees.  I split the logs into manageable size pieces as soon as I can and stack them in my garage.  When you split them open it gives the moisture a place to escape besides the ends.  I take my time and split them down into staves.  I go ahead and remove the bark and sapwood off of any stave I plan on keeping.  That is the only 100% effective way to prevent borer damage.  I seal the backs and ends 2 more times and put them away to dry.  If you remove the bark go ahead and remove the sapwood then seal the backs.  If you get any belly splits, seal the backs of those also.  One gallon of TB2 is under $20 at Lowe's.  You can dilute it with a little water to make it easier to brush on and increase the amount of sealer.  You can seal a lot of staves for $20.  Cutting osage is hard work.  Sealing is the easy part.  Skimping on that may cause your hard work to be for nothing.  One stave lost to drying cracks is a lot more valuable than a gallon of glue.

[osage outlaw]

I would like to point out that no one is getting after you ,it is just the fact that good useable osage is a valuable thing to most on this site and no one wants to see it wasted.the advice you are given is pure noladge and just given to help you.

Yes, my posts are meant to help.  When I first started cutting osage it took me some time and lost staves before I figured it out.  If I can help someone avoid that I try to offer advice based on my experiences.

[nsherve]

Ohma2, I hope I didn't sound like I was upset about something. Not at all. I'm asking questions and getting responses. I appreciate it. If I'm sounding like an ass, it's not on purpose. Forgive me if I am.
Osage, I understand the reason to split and seal and spend the time doing it. I have 5 kids I have to watch, a couple diapers I have to change and a couple kids I take to school. When all the kids are old enough to go out in the mud, I'll have more time available to work on this. I'll have some more time I can use this weekend.