I'm going to Anderson, Texas tomorrow to harvest several Osage trees on a friends property.
I have my "Bowyers Bible" and have watched some youtube videos but I'd like YOUR advice.
When ya'll quarter up the log do you coat the ends in wood glue or polyurethane, or anything else?
Any other advice is welcome as I feel like I am cutting down "golden" trees and want nothing to go wrong.
Coat the ends as soon as you sit the chain saw down.. Give them two or three coats of glue, varnish, poly or something.
What Roy said.
I like shellac. Very waterproof. Dries quickly. I seal the ends of the logs before I begin splitting and again before loading in the truck..
Excellent advice, guys.
Thank you VERY much,both of you!
Sorry, THREE, of you!
Absolutely coat the ends as soon as it hits the ground. Nothing I've used works as good as shellac. As you split it up and one coat dries, add more coats. Then when you get home, add a few more coats.
Another tip is to cut your staves loonnnggg. That will give you more wiggle room to lop off any checks that do develop later, and to pick the stave section that is best for a bow.
x2 what Adam says. cut them as long as you can, shellac them repeatedly. from a lidded can is best, but I've used spray cans of shellac with out issue. just put more coats on from a spray can.
Study the bark before you cut the tree. Try to avoid bark patterns that twist around the tree. Osage bark can be deceiving some times.
Make sure to take some pictures and post them.
Don't over look limbs either.
One thing to watch, if you're cutting it up when the sap is rising, it has a milky white sap that can give you a rash very similar to poison ivy.