My osage ain't yellar! (pics)

[FlintWalker]

I cut this osage a month or so ago and went ahead and split it. I noticed right away that it looked darker than normal but today I took the sapwood off and chased a ring of heartwood. It was really dark so I went down another ring, same thing...dark.  I don't mind it, I actually like it. I'm just wondering why? Is it diseased, mineral in the soil, etc?  Have any of ya'll made any bows from osage colored like this and did they turn out ok?  I couldn't get a piece long enough for a whole bow, but I got a few pieces long enough to make billets. They're pretty crooked, that's not a problem. I just don't want to invest a lot of time in something thats junk.  Here are some pics of the freshly chased back and sawn side beside a fresh piece of "normal" osage.
  Big difference.  Any opinions as to how it would be for bow wood?   Thanks, Saw Filer

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[koan]

Shannon, been told by many folks that the red in that wood is a good thing. I made my first out of osage that had alot of red streaks in it and it came out great. Yours looks like it is solid red, but I wouldnt worry...its still osage .  Get alot of that here in Mo.....Brian

[Ryano]

yep, thats usually really dense hard stuff.  I've made a few bows out of osage like and they all turned out great. no worrys shannon.

[bcbull]

saw filer  you struck gold !!!!!!haha thats very old growth denser hard wood ,,,the darker the better , you couldnt ask for better  !!! and keep some pics posted on the out come ,good luck

[bowmo]

Yup, the very first osage tree I cut was like that. Some is darker than others. Like others say, tends to mean that the wood is extremely dense. Average specific gravity for osage is something like 0.76 but the carker wood can tend to be in the low 0.80's...

[Little John]

good early-late groth ratio also, I say premium.    Kenneth

[Hillbilly]

The darker the better, IMO. Looks like some good rings, too. You've got a good chunk of wood there.

[Pappy]

Very nice looking wood.We have some that is dark and some is real light.I like the dark better.
usually prime wood.
   Pappy
     

[Sidewinder]

I'm gonna say older large diameter tree. The one Jeremy and I harvested a couple months back looks like that on the ends but the back doesnt look that dark.  I also cut a stump of it for a stool/chopping block and it looks that dark, Matter of a fact its beautiful with the thick dark late rings and the tin lighter earlies.