No yellow wood! But.......

Osagetree · January 20, 2008, 07:36:00 PM

No yellow wood today but I got's me some persimmon, and hickory for the drying rack.

Never used either, but when there's no yellow wood a man has to settle.

It looks sunny, but it was 18 degrees and windy. Persimmon down and making our second cut on this tree.

Using the steel mule to haul them to the truck

Loaded and ready to go home. I forgot how much work that can be.

Anyone in southern Ohio that knows where there is some osage standing, please call me!!

bayoulongbowman · January 20, 2008, 07:51:00 PM

Sir you have some good bow wood there friend . I have seen several longbows made out of persimmon and its great!....yes sir

bentpole · January 20, 2008, 08:17:00 PM

Go Joe!

4runr · January 20, 2008, 08:48:00 PM

Dang Joe, wish you lived closer.

Chris Surtees · January 20, 2008, 09:13:00 PM

Have fun with all that

Matt Stuckey · January 20, 2008, 11:21:00 PM

My parents have a small grove of persimmon trees growing at their place, never really thought of it as a bow wood. Only horribly bitter fruit when it's not ripe. What other woods does it compare too?

Osagetree · January 21, 2008, 04:50:00 PM

Ken,,, me too!

Matt, I don't really know but bayoulongbowman seems enthusiastic about it! I'll let you know in a year or two. Thanks for the tip on the osage stand!!!

Tom, you're always so supportive, glad you're my bud!

Chris, hows the military treating you? Good I hope! How's the boy's?

Legolas · January 21, 2008, 07:45:00 PM

Joe,
I know where osage trees are but I ain't telling you.

Paul

Osagetree · January 21, 2008, 07:57:00 PM

Paul,,, I figured that!

Legolas · January 21, 2008, 07:59:00 PM

Would you settle for a hedgeapple?

Paul

Osagetree · January 21, 2008, 08:14:00 PM

Is it as good as osage

bayoulongbowman · January 21, 2008, 08:21:00 PM

good wood !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pat B · January 22, 2008, 12:54:00 AM

I have heard that persimmon makes good bows but every tree I have cut had at least a 90deg twist in 6". Pat

Danny Roberts · January 22, 2008, 09:25:00 AM

I have a piece of persimmon to dimensions, drying now. It came off my dad's place. The cross country high-line crew sprayed the high-line with their helicopter last year and it drifted bad and killed this persimmon. When i get the bow done, I'm going to call it "The Victim". I live 40 miles down river from Louisville and can't find osage anywhere either around this country. I would like to make a bow out of it. I have one made from mulberry, 63# @ 64.5". It shoots real good. I've heard mulberry is as close as you can get to osage. Good luck with yours.
DR

brettlandon · January 22, 2008, 10:20:00 AM

Joe, Nice harvest on the persimmon. I have had an unnatural urge to build a persimmon bow. I have harvested a honey locust and a black cherry so far this year. I use a two legged mule (me) and a steel saw (stihl 310). I have marked several other locusts and two different species I am unable to identify. Who knew arbory would be so hard to learn? Sigh.

My third selfbow was a honey locust heartwood bow. It is still my favorite bow and the best performer I own. I decided to try it because if I saw a nice bow tree (can't help myself I see them everywhere), the property owner would likely encourage me to harvest it. They grow like weeds here in central Iowa. The six inch thorns can be quite daunting, but I find a good machette cures this.
Anyway, congrats on your nice haul, and happy staving. Your fellow tree harvester (it's a sickness, right?), Brett.

2fletch · January 22, 2008, 10:28:00 AM

Danny, there's osage all over Kentucky. I went from NC back to Kentucky to get my first staves. I've seen it around Lebanon Junction, but mostly along I-40 and roads around Lexington. A lot of those expensive horse farms have it growing in the fence rolls.

Good Luck.

Swabby · February 20, 2008, 12:29:00 PM

Son in law has lots of it around here. Last time I talked to him about it said it can be cut, but if you cut osage have to cut a half dozen or so ceders for each one. Actually he is in Kansas, but just across the Nebr. border. Take care all, Swabby

ChristopherO · February 20, 2008, 04:07:00 PM

Joe,
SW Ohio is full of osage. I was in eastern Ohio, Morgan County, last month and it is thick in the fence rows there, too. I pulled a fallen hedge apple trunk out a the creek last Saturday as it has been dead for a number of years. It may make a couple of 54" bow staves or I might try my hand at splicing. There is a pile of split staves in my barn at present but they were cut in November and still real wet.
Hope you find a cashe of them soon.
I think you will like the hickory. Not as pretty but it can make a good bow. Get the MC down to 7% or even 6% for it, though.
I just completed a longer hot box so I can get my wood dry without waiting a year to work it.
Christopher

Eric Krewson · February 20, 2008, 07:02:00 PM

I have been clearing the woods around my house of saplings lately so I looked up the proper herbicide to kill the stumps. On one of the farming message boards one guy said he was cutting between 3000 and 4000 osage trees off his property to clear land for crops and wanted to know what herbicide to use on the stumps to make sure the dang stuff didn't come back.

My heart skipped a beat and I started sweating profusely at the thought of this sacrilege,