I am spoiled !

[recurve shooter]

lol. i could have came up with that much my self.

[Badger]

  If osage has been dried with the bark on it can be a pretty good chore removing the bark and sapwood. One little trick I have learned and it works well on character staves with a lot of knots as well is to make up several little splitting wedges about the size of broadheads but about 1/4" thick, easy to mkae on a grinder out of mild steel. Anyway just clean up the sides of the stave with a draw knife or bansaw so you can clearly see the growth rings. Pick out a ring one or two rings above the one you want and tap a wedge into it. Go all the way down the stave with the wedges and if needed put a few wedges in the same ring on the other side, try to pound the wedge into the springwood if you can, it will often just pop right off leaving you a ring that just needs a few minutes worth of scraping. Doesn't work on all wood but most osage is pretty good about this. Steve

[recurve shooter]

cool trick man. i need to make me some arras next visit to grandpas.

[mullet]

  Nugget, I know where you are coming from. I came home from Pappy's with some of Dana's Hard Maple. I tried cutting a blank out on my saw and had the blade smoking. That is some hard and dense stuff. I think that hickory and HHB is nothing after messing with that stuff.

[nugget]

That maple is some tough stuff for sure

[Badbill]

Hey Shooter Ipe is a great looking chocolate brown hard wood sometimes known as Brazilian walnut.

[Phillip K]

I use less steeper angles on the blades for that hard wood, and I angle the cutter when Tillering to prevent chatter.Maple and Hickory are a pain,  Don't give up and don't let that wood burn ya out like it does me. Exhausted PK

[DanaM]

And here I thought the my maple worked sweet and easy, you guys must be wussies

I'm surprised that you think its that tough, I didn't think it was any tougher than hickory, and I haven't gotten to

the osage yet. I have permission to go cut another big ol hard maple from the same guy as last year

Don't give up on it nugget, just sharpen yer scraper eh

[nugget]

I am not gonna give up. Maybe alot of cussing and sweating

[Ryano]

I'm with Dana on this....Maple ain't that hard. But that being said, you need to learn different technique's for removing wood for almost every different kind of wood as they all seem to work differently.

The technique I use the helps with almost any kind of wood is to remove wood from each edge of the belly and then the midle of the belly. This helps cut down on the surface area your working on and your tools work much easier...its like working a much narrower piece of wood.

After all this being said, Yes Osage is still my favorite and works better with a scraper than any of the other woods I have tried. It is by far the most forgiving bow wood.

[Phillip K]

I still Like Workin with Maple and Hickory.I'm feeling how hard it was for you guys to gather the stuff.

[radius]

i have a ton of yew laminations here (and a couple blanks with the yew as belly lams....) so i guess in the near future i'll be spoiled on yew bows with white ash backings...

[recurve shooter]

thanx bad bil. sounds cool. and its EXTREAMLY hot for bowyering in louth louisiana right now. i sweat more makeing sawdust than i do at football practice.

[The Burnt Hill Archer]

sounds like a good trick Steve. might have to try that on some BL im gonna be getting soon. ive worked both white oak and red oak, hickory, ash, maple, hickory and hickory. my favorite so far is the hickory, but i think because its so hard to break. which is a plus for a guy like me! dont give up man, and if you get frusterated, step away for a while.
Phil