Does anyone prefer a stave from certain side of the tree

[Selfbowman]

I have this stave that I am sure come from the north side because of the moss. It was the north side of a straight tree to.

[Selfbowman]

Sorry Wrong pic

[Pat B]

I never gave it much thought and never asked.   If you are talking about the rings, location, terrain, canopy cover, northers or southern, east or west, specific tree as well as compass directions will affect the tree's growth.
 BTW, moss doesn't only grow on the north side of a tree.

[bentstick54]

I can’t help you as far as preference of staves because I haven’t made a fraction of the bows you have, but I‘ve seen moss grow on all sides of trees depending on where they grew as far as exposure to the sun goes.

[HH~]

Just did a step sister billet bow Rashka. Think those bilets came off a leaner and they were on the dirt side (under). its a spicy buggah. Did a HHB that came from same orientation that came out fine as well.

HH~

[Selfbowman]

Ok sounds like it don’t matter. Thanks

[willie]

I think Shawns comment was the bows came from the "compression" side of the tree. Rings arent always perfect circles around the center of the tree. wood cell structure changes in different locations in the tree.   the leeward side of the tree might be different from the windward in windy areas also.

[Pappy]

I always use the RIGHT side of the tree Arvin . 😉😊😊😊 Pappy

[bjrogg]

I’ve wondered about compression and tension sides of leaning trees. I could never remember which was which when I went to make a bow out of them though.

Bjrogg

[Selfbowman]

I always use the RIGHT side of the tree Arvin . 😉😊😊😊 Pappy

😁😁😁😂ok that’s the side you got right?

[loefflerchuck]

It is more for conifer woods as far as I know. The people in Siberia and far northeastern Europe made bows that looked a lot like Asian composite horn bows but from laminated wood. In particular Siberian bows looked a lot like Mongolian bows but were made from 2 to 3 laminations of wood. I believe birch was usually the back and the belly was compression pine and spruce. They exclusively used compression conifers. Maybe the tree was on a hill or near a river or sheltered from sun on one side. For whatever reason the tree would take a lean. The compression or reaction wood is the side taking the bend so the growth rings are more compressed than the tension side. I believe sometimes compression wood is formed when the tree tries to compensate for gravity. The best incense cedar bows I made were from the top side of the branch. Despite gravity the limbs would grow curving up. The tight ringed compression wood weighs much more than wide ring tension wood. Most bowyers know that tight ringed yew is the best. People call this high elevation yew, but compression yew can have very tight rings too. My favorite wood and the wood I have used most is juniper. Although I always back it with sinew, a good selfbow can be made from compression wood too. I use both to make bows but I have had more failures with punky tension wood and it will not take as much bend as compression wood(makes sense). Sinew backed juniper bows I have made from compression wood harvested from mountain range islands in Utah and Nevada that recieve very little moisture have produced the best bows to date. The rings are like pages in a book. Even staves with flaws I had to work around take a huge amount of bend and unlike normal size ring bows, after years of uverdrawing these bows they show no signs of crizzaling (sp?) on the belly. I would love to make a pine or spruce self bow some day from perfect Compression wood.
Arvin, that was a huge explanation to tell you I don't think it matters for osage unless the tree was under a lot of weight from a fallen tree or something. Then I think in that case the hardwood compression wood would be stronger.
 I have all this stuff it papers somewhere, so if some of my historical bow facts are slightly off let me know.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Leaners, I have cut more than a few, compression wood, transition wood and tension wood, I have split it out of a straight log and have it instantly reflex, deflex or dogleg depending on what side of the tree it was on.

Osage is easy to correct but the transition wood hickory that doglegs to the side is problematical to get aligned and straight again.

[Selfbowman]

I can’t help you as far as preference of staves because I haven’t made a fraction of the bows you have, but I‘ve seen moss grow on all sides of trees depending on where they grew as far as exposure to the sun goes.

Yes I know that the lack of sun is what causes the moss. It could be on the bottom of the limb. But on a straight 50’ y’all tree in say the USA it would most commonly be On the north side. Yes or no . Just asking?  Arvin

[loefflerchuck]

Like Eric says. If you split in the right spot hickory takes a great reflex on drying. Siberian elm too. In conifers compression wood sometimes takes a reflex on drying, but more often the split from the other side will take deflex and if you try to take a stave from the side, even if it is perfectly straight when split it will take a big side bend.

[Badger]

Like Eric says. If you split in the right spot hickory takes a great reflex on drying. Siberian elm too. In conifers compression wood sometimes takes a reflex on drying, but more often the split from the other side will take deflex and if you try to take a stave from the side, even if it is perfectly straight when split it will take a big side bend.

   I have noticed that Chuck on staves I buy when they are shipped still pretty wet. I always suspected it was just as you are describing.