Veins in Osage

[SKansasC]

Do these mineral veins have any effect on the strenth of the wood, or is it a waste to try and make a bow with these? Also what causes the veins?

[RBLusthaus]

I have no idea, but that sure looks cool.   On the chance that it is good wood alone, I would go for it cause it would look dynamite In a finished and polished bow.  Wanna trade a piece?

Russ

[joachimM]

It's never a waste to try 
Osage is so though it can take a lot of abuse, so why not a few veins that may not even do any harm and look damn good!

[SKansasC]

Oh, I'm going to try, just wondering if I should keep my expectations low.
If I have more than this one, I'll definitely trade one if someone wants one.

[Danzn Bar]

I've only seen it once ......it was a stave that Badly Bent had and it made a beautiful bow and a good performer. I think he called it dream sickle.  but he might see this post and tell the real story.
DBar

[Badly Bent]

No good, send it my way SKC.

No actually the piece I had like that made a fine bow and didn't seem to be any different than any other good osage that I have worked. I wish I had more of it because it has an unusual and strikingly different and attractive look to it. I'd say make your stave into whatever you would normally make an osage bow into and please post pics when your done.
I'll go into my pic. files and see if I have one of the similar stave/bow I made.

[Badly Bent]

Here's a couple pics of what I got out of the similar looking stave. I hope you get a nice bow from your stave SKC, I think osage with those streaks are few and far between.

[Danzn Bar]

Thanks Greg......I knew you would be looking in........
DBar

[SKansasC]

Thanks for all the info! That's a sweet looking bow! Looks like I might have a couple more off staves from this same tree. They don't seem to be as pronounced as the first one, but I've still got a few to strip yet.

[Aaron H]

I have had one of those before, and like Greg said already, I didn't notice any difference between it and any other osage.  Very pretty though

[Eric Krewson]

My experience with red streaks in osage has been poor. The streaky wood I have used turned out to be weak and prone to failure. Wood from different trees and a different area may be entirely different and not subject to the failures I experienced.