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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: JakeD on January 20, 2016, 07:50:00 AM
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I have a large selection of live Osage orange trees at my disposal. I as wondering if anybody could give me any advice on how to go about selection of harvesting one of the trees to make a bow out of. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
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post this in the bowyers bench forum here, that's where alot of the self bowyers hang out.
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Straight as possible, both the bark pattern and the trunk. Stay away from knots and limbs if you can. Cut them no less than 72" long, plan on ends checking.
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Like Chris said, look at the bark, the pattern will form a chain like appearance as it goes up the trunk. If it goes straight up the trunk that is good. If it curves around the trunk like a barber pole, not so good and a tree to avoid. Look for flaws like a place a limb has been grown over which will produce what we call a cat face or eye.
Pick only the straight stuff and don't expect it to be as straight after it dries.
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Good video on YouTube by Clay Hayes about this very topic. Check it out.
Steve
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Agree that Clay Hayes video s superb....!
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Thanks everybody! I'll check out the video and start looking for an ideal tree.
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Just remember, one good tree can yield at least 8 staves, and quite a few billets. So don't get cut crazy!
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Recommend reading Dean Torges, Hunting the Osage Bow.
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Make sure you wear a mask when cutting. Osage and iron wood have a very fine dust.
You will see when you get to cutting it.
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Hedge grows thick around our place and the only thing we have found that its good for growing up is a fence post!!!!!!
It will outlast the wire a lot of times and we have built a ton of fence using it :eek:
Amazing Wood, just don't try to hammer new staples into an old post...... they are like concrete after they sit out in the weather for a few years. :knothead: :knothead:
We had a gentleman from church come out to our farm when I was young wanting some hedge to make a bow out of.... we thought he was crazy :archer:
Can you take some pics of the potential trees/limbs that your considering?
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I'll take some pics when I start looking for a specific tree. It will probably be February before I get serious about trying to find one.