Osage distruction???Ofound the culprit)

[tom sawyer]

I've had wood wasps find my hedge pile before, you first see some wasps flying around and a few days later you start to see sawdust.  Sometimes they only stay in the sapwood but often theey munch on down and you see yellow sawdust.  They really love black locust too.  This is why I no longer store unprocessed wood outside for any length of time.  another good reason to cut in the winter.

[stringstretcher]

A lot of them will go to billets.   I was wondering if any one had made a bow  with the borer holes in it, and maybe just filed them in with sawdust and super glue?

[Stringman]

I know George does with success. I have one of his bows. It looked to me like you oughta be able to chase a few rings and be fine though. Do they run deep?

Scott

[stringstretcher]

Some are Stringman.  I know I can get down to a ring, but not sure on some of these how much wood will be left for the handle area and or limb.  Just have to start chasing rings after I get all the debarking and sap wood off an go from there.

[okie64]

Im with osage outlaw, eat it!

[soy]

I lost a whole truckload of sage them darn things I could not keep up with them sprayd the logs and everything.... they are right down to the center the logs... got to the Mulberry to     ruined all my yellow wood

[Eric Krewson]

The moral to this story and one I learned long ago after a bunch of wood wasp damage to my osage; take the bark and sapwood off your staves as soon as you cut them and seal the backs and ends with multiple coats of shellac.

Another lesson learned is to never put more osage trees on the ground than you can process with the above treatment in a month or less.

[osage outlaw]

I agree with Eric 100%.  Harvesting osage is to much hard work to let some little buggers turn it into swiss cheese. 

[stringstretcher]

I agree with everyone on letting the osage lay and having this problem.  But you have to understand why it happened.  It was not by choice.  When we got permission to cut all the osage we wanted we did so with the understanding that the owner was coming in with a bull dozier and cleaning out all the under brush and now useful trees (including the osage).  So we made several trip to get all we could before this happened.

Next, I had to have the left side of my head cut open and my complete inner ear vestibular function literally ground out and then the hole plugged up and my ear reattached.

Gordon had to have rotor cuff surgery just before I had my operation rendering him not capable of getting it split up either.

Marvin is 80 years old, and he can not do the work by himself like he could when he was our age.

So, after we all healed up a little, we got on it.  Some of it will be lost, but there are still some good staves in here.  But rest assured that when we cut more, if we get to, it will be handled in a more reasonable time.

[osage outlaw]

I know you have been traveling a rough road health wise lately.  I wasn't trying to say anything bad about how you handled that osage.  You guys did the right thing and got out what you could before it was destroyed.  I hate seeing good bow wood go to waste.  I'm glad to see you posting some work again.  Maybe we can hang out in the bow shop at the Classic and make some shavings.

[stringstretcher]

I never took it that way at all outlaw.  I just wanted to explain that it was not a planned thing that happened.  I think we are going back up to get some billet material soon, and hopefully the guy did not push all the osage out of there.  There is so much there, it is like a gold mine.  I talked with you a little bit last year if you remember, and yes, I would love to get to make some shavings this year and bring a "classic" bow home with me

And actually, you are the one that inspired me to get off my butt and get something done, after seeing what one man could do in a short period to work up some osage.  You are my idol man....lol

[osage outlaw]

Awe Shucks.     The only reason I got that done is because I'm as stubborn as a mule.....and built like one to 

I remember talking to you last year.  Bring a piece or two of that stuff with you this year and I'll do the same.  We will have a couple of shooters in no time.

[stringstretcher]

Sounds like a plan to me.