curing osage

j williams

j williams

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Hey I recently cut some osage, I had to work all weekend and came home to find it allready starting to split all over. I might have to scrap this lot and cut some more and I dont wanna waste any more of it......

Any tricks to cure it w/o splitting. I heard paint the ends, but will that help cracking everywhere else???
 
j williams said:
Hey I recently cut some osage, I had to work all weekend and came home to find it allready starting to split all over. I might have to scrap this lot and cut some more and I dont wanna waste any more of it......

Any tricks to cure it w/o splitting. I heard paint the ends, but will that help cracking everywhere else???
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If it is a large log just let it sit and dry out. It may take a year or more to dry out completely. Most of my osage is from a big trunk that my parents let sit for 2 or 3 years. It has some deep checks near the ends....but they are only 4 inches at most. Usually the ends will crack but the middle will still be good. Don't try to cut it into small pieces before it is dry.
 
They are all 2-3 in diameter, around 72in in length. Most every one has cracks running up it in spots. Should I have not stripped the bark before it dried?
 
Another thing you can do is look for old fence posts, made out of Osage. I have several, that are probaly 50 years old or better. No worries about curing, lol

Where are you at in MO. J ? Could share a few pieces if you want?
 
When you cut it down, don't strip the bark! Melt paraffin, and coat the ends and any branch/twig cut-offs with the paraffin.

Leave it off the ground in a relatively cool place for 2-3 years.

Or find a 50 year old fence post! :thumbup:



Drying slowly works best - leaving the ends and branch cut-offs open to air makes them dry quickly, and the wood cracks.
 
The tips above are good.

A friend who specialized in Osage Orange only cut his in the depth of Winter. He said it was less likely to split.
 
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You need to seal the ends and split or debarked face as soon as it's cut.Nearly any shellack or glue will work.Keep it out of the sun while it dries like inside the house or a sealed shed.

On a side note, any piece that will split fairly straight and is 2"x2"X 66" will make a great selfbow.
 
R.H.Clark said:
You need to seal the ends and split or debarked face as soon as it's cut.Nearly any shellack or glue will work.Keep it out of the sun while it dries like inside the house or a sealed shed.

On a side note, any piece that will split fairly straight and is 2"x2"X 66" will make a great selfbow.
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I would love to try my hand at a bow. That would be sweet!
 
I have heard cut it, don't peel it and paint or seal the ends (wax etc) and keep in shade for a couple of years. I have also heard to throw it in a pond for a year and then dry it out. I'm not sure I understand this, you still have to dry it out. I have also heard when making a bow you scrape down to a specific ring all the way down the length of the bow, don't cross into another ring or it can split there. Loosearrow
 
Loosearrow is correct about chaseing a single ring on Osage,with whitewood you just peel the bark..I don't think I would throw it in a pond though.

If you are interested in bow making, the book Traditional Bowyers Bible Vol.1 available at 3 Rivers Archery is a good one.Also Hunting The Osage Bow by Dean Torges is good though Dean tends to get too philosophical for me.or check out www.primitivearcher.com

Sorry if I went too far off topic.
 
In Ireland they dry blackthorn by sealing the ends and coating the entire stick in butter or lard. Then they put it in the chimmey flue (low temperature peat fires) over the winter. By spring it is dry, tough and hard as a rock.

The bark is left on for added toughness and often a metal ferrule is secured at the end opposite of the knob. To keep the wood from splitting during the drying process the Irishman would often bury the cudgel in a dung heap or smear with butter then place in the chimney to cure.

The Bata
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Loosearrow said:
I have also heard to throw it in a pond for a year and then dry it out. I'm not sure I understand this, you still have to dry it out.
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Your probably thinking of bog wood.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bog_oak

Bog-wood is wood from trees that have been buried in peat bogs and preserved from decay by the acidic and anaerobic bog conditions, sometimes for hundreds or even thousands of years. The wood is usually stained brown by tannins dissolved in the acidic water. Bog-wood represents the early stages in the fossilisation of wood, with further stages ultimately forming lignite and coal over a period of many millions of years. Bog-wood may comes from any tree species naturally growing near or in bogs, including oak (Quercus – bog oak), pine (Pinus), yew (Taxus), swamp cypress (Taxodium) and kauri (Agathis).
 
Just tried my primitive archer link.It's the message boards where you will find the most info including bow building and arrow making.
 
I goofed off over there for awhile this morning. Real nice place with lots of good info.:thumbup:
 
Yes, you want the wood to dry out the sides, not out the ends which will cause cracking and splitting.

I harvest many types of woods for bow making (by the ton). When I get the wood home, I paint the ends with wood glue (lots of sealants will work), and store the wood in a dry protected area. Keep the bark on until ready for use! The bark will let the wood dry out slower and, some types of bark keep wood eating bugs away.

I use a moisture meter on seasoned staves that helps me determine if the stave is too wet or too dry for bow making. Some of my osage staves I can use within a 2-year period from cutting. Others, I will wait 5-years (or more) before considering the wood. Just depends on what type of bow I will be making with it.

BTW, it is not necessary to follow one grain on the bow back if the bow is going to be backed with sinew or rawhide. I have made dozens and dozens of bows using both methods and can't tell the difference. If the bow is not going to be backed, by all means, follow one grain completely through the construction or during the expansion of the back (while shooting) that violated grain will raise resulting in a broken bow.
 
It's going to take a good long time. When I harvest dry wood I let it dry for years.
 
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