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Author Topic: Leaving sapwood on osage?  (Read 9322 times)

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Offline Badger

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Leaving sapwood on osage?
« on: April 14, 2012, 11:16:33 am »
  Any of you guys ever leave the sapwood on an osage bow? I had a bad split on one stave and if I don't use the sapwood their won't be enough to make a bow. One ring right in the middle of the stave had delaminated from itself for some reason.
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Offline Pat B

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Re: Leaving sapwood on osage?
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2012, 11:32:34 am »
Steve, if you know the sapwood is sound it is OK to leave some sapwood on osage. I've made osage bows with all sapwood and with one or two sapwood rings on the back and they worked fine. The bow will be thicker the more sapwood you leave on it.
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Badger

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Re: Leaving sapwood on osage?
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2012, 11:35:32 am »
   Thanks Pat, this particular osage has rings like yew, about 30 per inch. I chased it down about 3 rings and it looks pretty solid. I will post it when finished. Might still have some moisture in it so I will let it sit for a month or so.
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Offline jthompson1995

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Re: Leaving sapwood on osage?
« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2012, 11:36:38 am »
I just finished one up. On a tip from jawge, I chased off as much sapwood as possible as the closer to he heartwood you get the stronger the wood. I could only chase 1 ring but the bow turned out good.

I backed with cherry bark for some extra insurance. Ended up being 62" ntn, 35# @ 28" and bends through the handle. I probably could have piked it to gain some weight but I wasn't looking for high poundage and it makes a real nice, easy shooting target bow though it is legal for hunting if I so chose.
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A man who works with his hands is a laborer, a man who works with his hands and his mind is a craftsman, but a man who works with his hands, his mind and his heart is an artist. - Louis Nizer (1902-1994)

Offline Pat B

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Re: Leaving sapwood on osage?
« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2012, 11:39:10 am »
I love thin ring ringed osage but usually back it with rawhide for insurance.
  Seal the sapwood well. It will check quicker than a heartwood back if not sealed.
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline toomanyknots

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Re: Leaving sapwood on osage?
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2012, 01:17:11 pm »
"I love thin ring ringed osage"

LOL, Pat I will trade you 80 thin ringed osage staves for ONE with decent sized rings to chase. Some of the staves I have cut, chasing a ring on em are like peeling a piece of tissue paper into layers... using a knife.  :laugh:

Steve, I leave sapwood on osage all the time. I like the looks of it. I like to on longbows and go pretend I have a yew bow. lol Once it is nice and dry it is pretty hard stuff. Kinda reminds me of hophorn beam in the looks department, ya know? I think so anyway, I have only cut one hophorn beam sapling I believe though.
« Last Edit: April 14, 2012, 01:22:40 pm by toomanyknots »
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"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline Badger

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Re: Leaving sapwood on osage?
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2012, 02:12:48 pm »
   I just went ahead and tillered out the belly split I got from this stave and it is extremely dense. Checked it with my moisture meter and it seems to be dry enough. I may just go for a heavyweight longbow with the sapwood half. I can't draw them back but I like looking at them on the tree LOL>
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Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: Leaving sapwood on osage?
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2012, 03:56:59 pm »
Yes, on osage and black locust, Steve. One of the fastest bows I ever made was from an osage sucker. Like jthompson said get as close to the heartwood as you can. Enjoying retirement ha? :) Jawge
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Set Happens!
If you ain't breakin' you ain't makin!

Offline Badger

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Re: Leaving sapwood on osage?
« Reply #8 on: April 14, 2012, 05:58:03 pm »
 Retirement! Ha! I might have to give up bow making, everytime I think I am going to start a project I end up making bows all day. By 5 oclock I am exhausted. Not a day goes by I don't fill a trash can with shavings LOL, getting my bow making muscles back in shape after a couple of year lay off.
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Offline Weylin

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Re: Leaving sapwood on osage?
« Reply #9 on: April 14, 2012, 06:47:42 pm »
John Strunk showed me several beautiful bows he had made with the sapwood on the osage. He seemed of the opinion that people make too much out of the negative qualities of the sapwood and on many staves you couldn't make a bow if you didn't use the sapwood. I don't want to speak for him as there may have been some subtleties or conditions to his statement that I missed but that was definitely the impression I got from that conversation.
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Offline Badger

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Re: Leaving sapwood on osage?
« Reply #10 on: April 14, 2012, 07:21:21 pm »
  I kind of agree so far Weylin, I have it nearly tillered out, will finish tomorrow. Going for 70# @28" and she seems to be actiiong just like any other osage bow so far.
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Offline JonW

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Re: Leaving sapwood on osage?
« Reply #11 on: April 14, 2012, 09:50:10 pm »
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Offline Badger

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Re: Leaving sapwood on osage?
« Reply #12 on: April 14, 2012, 10:03:55 pm »
  Thats good to see John, mine is pretty long at 67", sap wood looks about the same as yours maybe 5/16 thick.
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Offline toomanyknots

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Re: Leaving sapwood on osage?
« Reply #13 on: April 14, 2012, 10:37:32 pm »
I posted a couple I made with the sapwood on in this thread: http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,32020.0.html
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"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline Pat B

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Re: Leaving sapwood on osage?
« Reply #14 on: April 15, 2012, 01:55:57 am »
Steve, this is a bow I made last winter for the TG Bow Trade. It was made from 1/2 of a 2" diameter osage pole. All I did was remove the bark and built the bow.




This pic looks like about a 28" draw




I did add a rawhide backing for insurance.
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC
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