Old Osage Stave

[HighEagle]

This Osage stave is older then the hills , It is 69" long  I started to clean it up got one or two rings below cambium layer  It has some surface checks one has me worried  its Deep stops at the 6th ring down. You think I should go 1,2 rings at time or hog all 6 off at once.

This stave and my very first Osage bow back in 2015 (First Osage) and my last bow posted ( 64in NTN Osage what do you see?) came form a neighbor a a few years back. In 2015 he give me 4 staves But last year he came by and give me all his stave stash tools, books, arrows bows a collection of 30 plus years I was floored felt like just won the lottery.

Thanks all Chuck

[bradsmith2010]

well I cant really tell how wide it is,,, so you could make two bows,,, or put the check in the middle of one bow,, i guess you could take off all that wood to get to the lower rings,, but my gut says that would be the last option for me,, it does not take much osage to make a bow

[TimBo]

Just trying to eyeball the width - too bad that measuring tape isn't one the end! - but it looks maybe 4" wide?  If that is the case, I would split in on that center check.  Old, dense osage really won't need to be very wide.  That looks like some sweet wood!

[Pat B]

Looks like excellent bow wood.   
I think I'd go down 2 more rings and see what you've got. Those checks follow the grain and shouldn't adversely affect the bow inside. Once you get another back cleaned I'd fill the remaining checks with super glue and continue on with the build.
 The width and thickness will help to determine the route to follow.

[bjrogg]

That’s one I’d probably have to listen to for awhile. My first instinct is to split it. And make two. Really need to look at it better to determine that though.
Would look like you could go four rings down and still have enough wood and nice rings. Maybe it would disappear before then.
It could be laid out so it doesn’t run off edge and filled with thin super glue. I’ve got one I gave to my brother that has one from end to end right up the center. It’s been shot a lot with out a problem.

[burchett.donald]

  1 1/4" wide sinew backed bendy, maybe 2 in that stave? Nice early to late ratio...
                                                                                                                           Don

[JW_Halverson]

My fingers are itching and my eyeballs are quivering looking at that well aged 'sage. Everyone needs to make a bow once from an OLD piece of osage. It works so much differently than a piece that is only a few years from cutting...it's is simply a pleasure to chase rings on old 'sage.

Good luck with this rare old piece of gold.

[BowEd]

I too like that old old osage.I once pulled the bark and sapwood off a stave that was 30 years old.Hard as a rock wood of course.I chased rings to get rid of check cracks till there was hardly anything left.
Not saying yours will be the same but they are a lot of work but if a bow is made it's worth it.It does'nt take much width to make a 50# bow from osage like that.