Fresh cut osage care??

[Jakesnyder]

I just cut some osage today and was wondering how long is it ok to wait to seal the ends. Its wet and cold here in Missouri. Will it be ok for 2 or 3 days this time of year?

[sleek]

Id paint the ends until you can split and debark it. If nothing else, put plastic grocery bags over the ends and tie them tight.

[monoloco]

Prob not an issue this time of year but my one OO harvest so far resulted in immediate infestation by wasp (?) larvae.  I made up a borate solution (homemade ‘Boracare’) and thoroughly sprayed the logs.  It seemed to halt the grubs. Next time I’ll
Definitely do something preemptively...

[Jakesnyder]

How about storing them. I store most of my staves in my garage that I have a woodburner in. Usually have a fire going 2 to 3 days a week. But with osage having a tendency to dry check im not sure if I should put them in there right away. Any suggestions?

[bentstick54]

I would bet you might have a day or two if needed to seal the ends as cold and wet as you say it is. I wouldn’t wait any longer than I had to. I would not store them in the garage with a wood burning stove though. I store mine in my basement where the temperature and humidity stays relatively constant. If you leave the bark on for any length of time spray it down with something to discourage borers from ruining them. As soon as you take the bark off seal the backs with something right away. Start by storing in a shed, under a lean to, in your basement, anyplace out of the weather where air can circulate around them, but keep them away from the dry heat of a wood stove.

[TimBo]

When you do have time to debark them, chase down to heartwood - the sapwood likes to check.  Where are you located in Missouri?  I am in the northeast part.

[Dances with squirrels]

Why wait? I seal the ends with 2 coats of shellac before I even put them on my truck. In the right conditions, I've seen them check in just a few hours.

Do NOT put fresh cut osage in a garage with a wood burner. A buddy of mine ruined a whole bunch of beutiful osage staves by doing that. It all went into the wood burner too. They were some of the nicest staves I've ever seen. Made me sick.

Put them somewhere cool, dark, and without wind so they lose moisture slowly for a while. Like in an unheated garage or shed. You can get busy now removing bark and sapwood. It comes off a lot easier when they're still wet.

[Jakesnyder]

I used to live in South West Missouri till I move up to PA so I still have a few connections down there to getting on some land. The place I was at yesterday was about 1500 acres. So much osage just had to pack everything out by hand. Good thing I'm still young... next time I need to find some help... I plan to seal the ends today then in a couple days ill peal the bark and shellac the backs. Should I keep them a little wider to prevent twisting or are they ok to split into regular stave sized pieces?

[Pappy]

I would remove the bark and sap wood as soon as possible and seal the ends, spraying sometime helps but the bugs are sometimes already in the bark and spraying don't help always.Been there done that. Then you can store them most anywhere out of the weather,probably not by a wood stove to start with I wouldn't split them to small but Osage isn't to bad about warping like most white woods are.
 Pappy

[Dances with squirrels]

How wide I split them depends on the character of each piece. If they're funky I go wider to allow more room for layout options, but usually about 4-5" across the bark.

[Jakesnyder]

Why take the sapwood off right away?

[Dances with squirrels]

There's a few different reasons, but the big one is because it's got to come off anyway, and it comes off a lot easier when its fresh cut.

The best case scenario to dealing with an osage log, in my opinion is to get the log split in the first day or two, then work steady at getting the bark and sapwood off them all, brought quickly to one heartwood growth ring, typically being one above the future bow's back. Sealing the backs as you go. As soon as that's done, I start removing excess belly wood, trim the staves to about 2 or 2.5" wide, 3/4" thick in limb areas, and if they need any corrections or I want to add reflex, I steam them and clamp them to a caul. Let it sit for a day or two, then do another one. I do this until they're all done.

They take up a lot less space this way, dry faster, with less chance of bugs, twisting, warping, etc. It's a lot of work, that's why I try to plan it so I have the time available in the coming days and weeks to deal with them properly.

[Eric Krewson]

Others have different results but where I live sapwood left on a stave will check 100% of the time even if sealed with several coats of shellac.

One guy mentioned a product called Anchor Seal that loggers use, he said none of his staves with the sapwood left on ever checked when he sealed them with this.

Here is what I have run into, 4 coats of shellac over the sapwood.

[bjrogg]

That’s what happens to mine to Eric. Heck even the heartwood does.

The quicker I can get a ring chased and sealed with shellac and stave reduced closer to bow dimensions the better.

Bjrogg

[Jakesnyder]

Wow thats a shame Eric. Yea I think I will take it down to a heartwood ring then seal it good with shellac . Especially with a truckload of staves that look pretty much like this..