Osage has broken my heart...

[Morgan]

That always hurts deep in your guts. At least it wasn’t a finished bow that you was shooting in, those breaks are harder for me to take. I know lots of folks buy staves, some have no choice, but this is why I won’t buy them. It’s a hard enough hit to watch something you’ve spent several hours of your time on blow apart, but when it takes a 50 dollar bill or more with it it would be down right painful for me. There are woods that I’d really like to work with that I would have to buy, but I don’t gamble with money.
Good luck on your next one bud.

[George Tsoukalas]

That looks pretty thick for a bracing...at least the close up does. I can't tell how thick the limbs are from the full on shot.

When you brace a bow it should be 10-15# over final draw weight.

Jawge

[HH~]

Better than a busted lip. Been there. Looks like wood been over cooked some? Sometimes for no good reason one will go bang. Cut bad lib off finger joint a new one in it and yer cooking with grease again.

Shawn~

[Yooper Bowyer]

So far I haven't blown more than $20 in any single bow, but I have a $40 Ipe board and a $15 hickory backing that I want to put together.  I'll have to be very carful with that one

[Selfbowman]

I had one do the same thing recently. Not sure but I think it was due to rotten early wood. I think it  failed from the middle out.  Arvin

[Tom Dulaney]

I'm telling y'all, this osage stuff is trash. Every piece I ever worked was infested with bugs, black rot, and weird little dots. I seldom see anyone using a piece that doesn't look like the grain is pointing in 20 different directions, and the stave full of knots.


What gives? Osage in this condition is not gonna perform better than a perfectly straight, clean, knotless piece of spruce. I'd rather make a clean bow out of quality wood than a crooked Osage bow with knots. Some people would be content to make a bow out of Osage charcoal.

[Fox]

Tom, I’ll always love Osage. Especially the knotty twisty character staves, but the fact is sometimes Osage can be too challenging for any new bowyer... but a twisty wiggly knotty Osage bow certainly has good medicine, just requires more skill. And it will definitely shoot just as good as any straight stave...

[Fox]

I mean look at weylins  that is a true masterpiece out of some serous crazy Osage ...it has the dots and speckles in it as well, which I don’t think really compromise the wood.

[RandyN]

Fox,,Sorry to read about your bow. I can feel your pain. I blew up 2 bows in a week. Your right about osage. I can't leave it alone either. I enjoy the challenge and feel it makes me a better bowyer.

[bradsmith2010]

I seen some nice osage,,

[Tradslinger]

Osage is a beautiful wood and like all woods, can have imperfections deep within out of sight. I pretty much love it, when a bow is made that is a good bow, it is a good bow. For me, I have always loved the color of the Osage wood. While I would like to try other woods like black locust and others, Osage is my favorite. I figure that I am fully capable of ruining any wood, no matter how good it may have looked but I am tryiing very hard to do a better job at it. Besides, my father's ancestors used Osage a lot and that is good enough for me.

[bradsmith2010]

I have a bow I made with Jim Hamm bout 25 years ago,, it still shoots great,, it will probably outlast me, once a good osage bow is made, it will really hold up, and in the harshest conditions,,this bow went to africa Argentina ,,and British Colombia,, just to name a few,, the airlines broke the case and it came down the convier belt butt naked,,,,so thats one of the reasons its a favorite,, other bows will shoot as well or sometimes better, but for durabuility,,its hard to beat,,just saying there are reasaons so many like it,, if you want a good straight piece, it can be found, might have to cut it  yourself, or pay a high price,