Looking for someone to make me a self bow......

[slayer1]

I have 4 Osage staves that have been in my attic since 2005. I cut and split the tree my self while on a hunt trip to IL. I would really like to try to get a self out of one of them, but I don't really have the time to do it myself. Can someone point me in the right direction?

[Pat B]

Where in NC are you and when do you need the bow?

[scrub-buster]

Pat makes amazing bows!

[slayer1]

Pat I live in Elon. It's between Greensboro and Raleigh. Where are you?

[fish n chicks]

My vote is on Pat B, or Osagetree. Then again, there are a great group selfers on here that will give you an incredible piece of shootin stick.

[Pat B]

Slayer, I'm in Western NC mountains just west of Asheville.
 I have a few other projects but if you are not in too much of a hurry I could probably make one for you.

[broketooth]

my vote is for mr pat also! are you feelin pressured mr pat?

[Pat B]

A little Ruddy but it could be the prunes! d;^)

[Art B]

Yep, I would have to reccommend Ol' Pat also!

I would be a little concerned about your Osage staves being stored in your attic for that long Slayer1. Attics get pretty hot and Osage doesn't tolerate it at first. Have you looked your wood over real good?........Art

[slayer1]

Originally posted by Art B:
Yep, I would have to reccommend Ol' Pat also!

I would be a little concerned about your Osage staves being stored in your attic for that long Slayer1. Attics get pretty hot and Osage doesn't tolerate it at first. Have you looked your wood over real good?........Art

Not really Art. I pretty much split it and stored it up there to keep the bugs out of it. It was in my garage on the floor for the first year, until we moved, not sure if that would matter or not.

[ChristopherO]

The moisture content could be pretty low as said before attics can get hot.  That will be the main concern.  If it were hickory then there wouldn't be as much issue.  Osage would be good down  to about 8 percent MC, though.

[Pat B]

No worries about rot but osage grubs will make Swiss cheese out of it. They lay their eggs in the bark and when least expected they begin to eat. The eggs were in the wood when you got it.
 Pull a stave down and remove the bark. If the grubs are in it you will know right away. If they are go below the sapwood and see if thety got into the heartwood. When you do remove the bark(and/or sapwood) be sure to seal the back very well. You can use carpenters glue, wax or shellac to seal it.
 Let me know what condition the wood is in and we can work on a trade.

[Art B]

Wormy wood is one concern as Pat mentioned but another thing that concerns me is the wood being exposed to high heat for so long a period of time. Looks like that woud cook the life out of the wood and leave it rather brash......Art

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I had some one time that the carpenter ants turned a real nice stave into a screen door. Maybe they were Osage grubs to start with?

Not trying to get off topic, but since Pat brought it up I thought I would ask. What kind of insect do the grubs turn into? If they look like ants then I know that's what I had in mine.

I'd also give Pat the vote for a nice Osage selfbow, I've seen his work and it's awesome.

[Art B]

Here's what I found Semo Hunter.

U.S. Forestry Service: Osage-Orange


Osage-orange trees are attacked by at least four stem borers: the mulberry borers (Doraschema wildii and D. alternatum) (4), the painted hickory borer (Megacyllene caryae), and the red-shouldered hickory borer (Xylobiops basilaris) (8). The twigs are parasitized by several scale insects including the European fruit lecanium (Parthenolecanium corni), the walnut scale (Quadraspidiotus juglansregiae) the cottony maple scale (Pulvinaria innumerabilis) the terrapin scale (Mesolecanium nigrofasciatum), and the San Jose scale (Quadraspidiotus perniciosus) (25,46). The fruit-tree leafroller (Archips argyrospilus) feeds on opening buds and unfolding leaves.

Osage-orange is attacked by, but is not a principal host of, the fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) (55), an Eriophyid mite, Tegolophus spongiosus (51), and the fourspotted spider mite, Tetranychus canadensis (4).

Art

[Pat B]

I think in many cases the grubs that attack osage are in the wasp family. After eating their fill of osage they pupate and become these tiny wasps.