Trad Gang

Just had to share with someone that understood.
Took the fam out to a friends property today for a shed hunt. As we were getting ready to start walking I walked over to a pile trees left from a pond build about 1 1/2 years ago, and looky what I found    :D  
Osage, nearly straight as an arrow, 12 diam., nice thick rings and heavy as sin.

Thanks to a fellow bowhunting buddy we got it cut & into his truck and home for surgery, of course he mentioned that he found it much easier just to go and purchase a bow. But I said bow would be be jealous when I was standing over my button buck with a homemade weapon    :thumbsup:  
  (http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o62/sdcopeland/BOWS/IMG_0101.jpg)

Don't know too much about that osage, kind of scarce in these parts.  Looks like a good find, should get several bows from it.  Good luck and have fun.

Get it split out into staves(or at least in half) and seal the ends.

Nice find. Sure wish that stuff grew around here

A year and a half is plenty of time for the bugs to go to work on your wood, hope you have some good wood under the bug damage.

I got permission to cut some similar osage that had been on the ground a year. Powder post beetles had gone in the top of the logs and come out the bottom. Looked a a dozen or so logs, all were ruined by beetle damage.

That's like finding a $100 bill under your seat in your car when you clean it out! =D

Thanks all, yes there was some bug damage that appeared when I dug into the bark. Once I split it in half last night though it didn't appear to have any holes in it that deep. So I guess I'm hoping for the best!

I have used lots of logs that were down for over a year. They did have bugs, but I was able to chase  rings down until all their damage was gone and continued to  make good bows from them. Nice find by the way.
how long is that log? It looks like it twists a bit @ the end. Nothing that can't be heated out but if it was long enough I would cut it off.  :thumbsup:

I just went to measure it and it was 80" total, with that spot on the end you were talking about of about 10" in length.
I have also used downed Osage before, and ran into bugs. I was fortunate enough to get down past their damage also but I was still green enough that I go a little aggressive on the tillering      

Anyone have an opinion on how long air drying might be on deadfall? I'm a little antsy    :D

I don't havea moisture meter, but I have found that a month after  being worked down to a ring I could introduce them into the hot box under  80 degrees without checking. Having  said that, I  also would like to throw  in that it could  have been sooner  but I really don't think a few weeks is worth the risk of destroying  a good stave.   If it  was me I would traet them as green and play it safe. Dean torges book gives good directions to get wood dry in about three months safely. Good luck and  again, nice find.

I don't havea moisture meter, but I have found that a month after  being worked down to a ring I could introduce them into the hot box under  80 degrees without checking. Having  said that, I  also would like to throw  in that it could  have been sooner  but I really don't think a few weeks is worth the risk of destroying  a good stave.   If it  was me I would traet them as green and play it safe. Dean torges book gives good directions to get wood dry in about three months safely. Good luck and  again, nice find.