Bow wood

[BowEd]

Anybody come across this stuff we call around here red hedge?Compared to regular yellow osage orange it's got a lot of red streaks in it and noticeably more darker orange in color.I don't see it too much at bow making gatherings but do see it sometimes.I've been collecting staves again lately.
It does'nt seem to make any better bows really but is just a color variation.It'll turn darker quicker with age also.It does'nt seem to make any difference coming from male or female trees either.
It might be an enviornmental issue or different type nutrients from the ground?

[bjrogg]

The stave I got from Wyatt in trade blanket at Marshall was like that.
Bjrogg

[BowEd]

I'll get some pictures up later from fresh staves showing the difference.

[Eric Krewson]

The red is caused by minerals in the soil. A friend gave me a piece of poplar that varied from typical tan poplar to black in the same board, with shades of red and purple as in between. He said it came from alongside a cattle feedlot

[Selfbowman]

A lot of that Osage along the red river between ok and tx

[dylanholderman]

ill add that i see "red" colored osage more often in thin ringed wood.

[HH~]

I have some bows and one in the works out of it now. Dense heavy Hedge. Have a 70' model that's shot in and is 46@28" but still have not decided how center cut i want it. Hunt bow with flipped tips and Goboon overlays. Think it has a Shedua grip cap on it. She be tee'd up, first in the chute come bow 2020 season.

Like that stuff with a good hand rubbed oil finish.

HH~

[BowEd]

Yep gotta agree.Some pretty stuff.Both of these cut around the same time.Just from different trees.

[JohnL]

     I've found the red-streaked stuff to be of very high quality.  It seems like it has no inclination to take set; even when tillering mistakes occur.  I cut my Osage on family land in Central Texas, in the bottoms of the Colorado River basin.  Even though much of the Osage that far West grows as gnarly "scrub trees", if it's growing in creek bottoms & flood plains, or near springs, it tends to have extremely dense, dark summer wood rings, which are full of "lunar rings".  It is within those stacks of lunar rings, that you will find the fiery red streaks, while sanding. Rare & beautiful!

–John

[BowEd]

Yes the darker stave did come from some bottom land that gets and stays wet longer.You are correct that the red streaks are intermittent in the lunar rings and early wood with overall darker late wood.