tips for choosing bow stave

[Keenan]

 Great advice, and for us northern folks it's good to hear what to look for in the southern woods.  Yet like Hillbilly I would have to add that there are allot of good ol boys that sell out of the truck car or off the blanket in front of there tipi's around this part of the country. Doesn't mean that they are paying there taxes or doing anything dishonest.
  Also things are quite diffrent here on the variety of wood. When it's yew, Vine maple, Juniper ,Service berry and such there is a multitude of things to look for. Straightness tends to go out the window and knots are just something that you cut around, or work in as character.  It should be said that most white woods are almost better to be sawn then split. Just be sure you don't have it cut in such a way that causes serious grain run off. Trying to split a Yew log with allot of knots is almost instant disaster. And it tolerates saw cuts very well, and the same with Service berry and Juniper.
  I guess what I'm saying is keep in mind what area and variety of trees you are considering because it's not a one rule fits all scenario.

[DanaM]

When it comes to osage Mike knows what he's talking about Anyone that has seen him at work knows this

I agree with Keenan also that sawing wood is also a viable option depends on the wood, also consider
half-eyes way he uses edge grained staves split from sawn logs. As for buying wood out of the back of a truck I have no problem
doing that either, but I won't pay top dollar and don't expect a warranty either.

[Dean Marlow]

I sell a few staves myself when I have them and I don't think it makes any difference if you are buying staves out of the back of a pickup or under a beautiful shaded  tent on getting your money worth on a good stave. I have had just one bad dealings on a Yew stave from a guy who sells on the big auction site. The majority of guys will make it  right if you think you have been mislead. Also green staves are O.K. to buy if you like to use steam to straighten. Mike I will be looking forward to your photos on early wood to late wood ratio. It is probably the most confusing question for me when it comes to good Osage. Dean

[Eric Krewson]

I looked over Mark's wood at Briarfield, even gave some stave recommendations to people standing around. At the very low price Mark was asking for his wood no one was getting anything but a good deal. He only had 5 or 6 staves and a few pieces of nice looking local bamboo.

There isn't a vendor fee at any of the shoots I attend. This would include all the ASTB shoots, the Hill shoot and Tn Classic. I guess fees are necessary for the huge shoots but I like the casual trading, bartering, hobby selling attitude at the shoots I attend.

Mike is definitely the man when you are looking for some great osage but I don't blame anyone for selling a little of their wood from time to time, done it myself a time or two. I sold 12 osage staves for $150 once just to get rid of them (got tired of carrying them from shoot to shoot) and told the buyer it wasn't top notch osage by a long shot. I  pointed out to the buyer that a couple of the staves were great, a few were marginal, but the rest was only good for bamboo backed bows.   

The key for anyone selling is  to be honest and not take advantage of a newbie who doesn't know squat about wood.

[yazoo]

your exactly right eric,,you can sell different grades of osage,,just be honest about what you have got,,I did not mean to offend everyone with a pickup,, I sell out of pickup some time,,the problems I have seen at the big shoots mostly in the north,,the guys I saw were selling trashey osage against the rules of that shoot to beginners  and telling them it was great,,,that is the people that upset me,, and I have been known to give away a half a load of osage to keep from hauling it home

[Eric Krewson]

You are right Mike. I saw a guy at a Knapp-in with a trailer load of wood i wouldn't have made fence posts out of, rotten, checked from back to belly, twisted and the like. He had one log he said he wouldn't take less than $150 for. It was cut out of a crotch and had a bunch of 3" and larger limbs sprouting from the trunk. I could tell he was the wheeler dealer type so I told him the truth when I said " I am an experienced bowmaker and you don't have anything but firewood on your trailer".  His feelings weren't hurt when I told him how it was, he knew he was a fraud.

I did make a point to steer anyone I knew who was looking for wood away from him.

[yazoo]

I just remembered something to add to first post,,,the thickness of the rings will vary  from the root end to top end,,a stave can go from great thick good ratio wood on root end to trashey at the other end of stave,,be sure to base your opinion on a stave from the top end,, not the root end

[UpATree]

Hey guys, I am new here and although I have built quite a few board bows, have got to admit that it's time for me to man up and try one from a stave. Now the question that I have is concerning Hickory, as I highly doubt that I have the patience and knowledge to try Osage first. I have heard though that a Hickory stave might be the first to try. Here's the question, where can I buy a Hickory Stave? Who sells them that you guys know is reputable? I have found quite a few Osage stave dealers, but am really looking for one who deals in Hickory. Being recently retired from the Marine Corps after 22 years, the last five of which in the sandbox, something tells me I need to up my obsession a bit. It's soon to be summer and although I love to fish, I love the Beer joints better,lol. A hickory stave will keep me home in the garage, making my wife very happy. lol  Great to meet you all and thanks in advance.

[Eric Krewson]

Mike(Yazoo) has some nice hickory staves and bow blanks, some of the best I have ever seen.

[UpATree]

Thanks Eric, I will send him a PM

[yazoo]

this is what i meant by taking the point off the belly side of a stave,,this stave looks pretty clean,,only has a slight wave,, taking this point off shows all flaws in a piece of wood,the next photo I will show what it revealed

[yazoo]

[yazoo]

now after I sawed off the belly a big nasty knot,,it wont keep it from becomming a bow but its good to know its there 

[yazoo]

[DanaM]

Cool Mike you can actually see the knot in the wood if ya look close. This is a great thread especially for those of us that live
where osage is just a rumor. If your going to spend hard earned cash on a stave might as well know what to look for eh