I have access to a saw mill and was wondering if cutting staves from logs is any different than splitting them out. Will be a lot less work and if the grain is straight I don't see what the difference will be. many recommend roughing staves with the bandsaw.
What are your thoughts.

If you saw them out at a saw mill they will be good for backed bows and there will be less waste...BUT! if you split out staves you can build self bows and they are individual works of art.  Pat

Pat.
The plan is to cut staves from logs instead of splitiing them and making self bows from the staves. With the portable mill we have at the camp I live at it seems that it would be easier than splitting the logs.

Are you talking about turning the trees into boards? Jawge

Saws don't follow the grain too well so your sawed staves will have more waste but it will work. What's  the wood?

Jawge. No I am not turning them into boards, was just going to halve or quarter the log.

At the moment I have some yellow birch but also have access to cherry hard maple and maybe some ash.

Unless you can read the grain really well by eye, I'd split rather than saw a stave. You need to follow the grain if you want to a stave.

Split them.  It's really not hard at all for stuff under 14".  It'll probably be less work than firing up the mill and running them through plus you will be sure to not waste a good stave.  You have to read the wood to accommodate knots and defects.  

That all being said, the mill will work fine especially with ash and maple.

Bowyer's should develop the skill of following the vertical grain. True, it's done when you split by hand. Nevertheless you should be able to lay out a bow following the lateral or vertical grain in a sawed stave. Jawge

You can split a log in the time it takes to put gas in your saw.

unless there is much twist and you keep the sections wide enough to allow room for error [as you would have to do with splitting anyway], you'll be removing a lot of wood either way, and should still be able to stay true to the grain as you lay the bow out.

not all sections will yeild suitable staves, but this is true with splits aswell.

I was expecting to have to follow the grain when laying out the bow and then roughing it out with the bandsaw. In this way I don't see much difference in creation of the stave. Yes cutting it will not follow the grain as closely as splitting it but if the grain is straight, as it would need to be even in a split stave, then laying out the bow should not be too difficult.

The mill work alright with straight grained white woods.I have a problem with O'sage you may end up with a knot and need the exture wood around it.Osage should be split.