Tuesday I found a dead osage tree that had been laying over for several years. It looked like a straight grained tree so I cut out the straight sections and brought them home.

When I tried to get the split started it put up a fight.

Once I got it started I saw why it was so hard to get started.

Yesterday I started breaking it down into staves.

Gonna' be some gnarly staves in that one. "Calling Jeff Durnell",

An added bonus, red streaks all through it. I can't wait to start working some of this into bows. I might rough out a couple of blanks and bring them inside to start drying.

That one on the left in the 5th picture is a dandy it looks like.

Now the work begins!!

wow... that is a great find and sill make some special bows for sure. Please post pics of your progress.

Crazy bows they will make........really neat.

Those are amazing !!!!

Clint, those will make amazing bows..

Man, I'm looking forward to seeing this! Please keep us posted! Looks like you're heading for another bow of the year in P.A.

Dang, full of snakes and red streaks to. Quite the find! I’ll be waiting for full draw shots in the future.

OH BOY, great find you lucky dog. John

Maybe some of the wood would serve for risers and limb cores on a composite recurve?? ( If You are into that kind of thing?)

Awesome find! Plenty of challenge to be had there.

What some folks here may not understand is that even though a tree has snakey grain, it still can have good or bad qualities otherwise as it relates to bow wood. That log appears straight overall and with minimal twist. There's some good bows in there. If you'd like to sell a piece of it, I'd be interested. If not, I completely understand because I don't know if I would :^)

I won't be cutting any of this up for risers. I'm only into making selfbows.

Jeff, I agree with you about some snakey osage is poor quality bow wood. I had some that was snakey like this but the grain flowed different directions with each growth ring. It was very strange looking. One bow was attempted out of it and it broke.

I need to finish splitting it and clean the staves up to see what all I get from it before I decide if I'm going to let any of it go. I left a billet length piece in the woods. I think I'm going to go back and get it after seeing what it looks like.

Very cool all u guys that make your own bows certainly have my respect.I would not even know where to begin.

man that is a cool tree for sure, anticipating the build!

Very nice Clint, love them snakey ones. Pappy

Very cool. Nice find.

Osage is a wild wood for sure. I gave up on the last stave, it's grain had a lot more twist in it then I could follow, which isn't saying much, but none the less it was very twisted. Hope you do a follow along with these. Love watching selfbows come out of trees.

-Bones

Put me on the list for one! Let me know when you get ready to start shipping them out.

excellent ...

question if I may .... what happens to the growing tree to create that snakey configuration

I don't often get excited about osage but my heart rate picked up when I saw your first split picture, that is some rare stuff. I have seldom found a piece that is snaky from one end to the other, maybe 5 or 6 staves in all my osage cutting.

Holy Crapoly, that is going to make some really neat looking bows,

I wish I had the knowledge and opportunity to do one like that.

I'm surprised you were able to split it as clean as you did.

Nice find .....Maybe!!!

Phil, I have no idea what causes them to grow like this.

Eric, mine did the same thing when that split started. That entire tree is like that.

I grow bonsai trees or have in the past, sometimes the snaky grain can come from a lot of side branching very early in the trees life, it just continues to exaggerate itself as the tree matures.

Clint, I've seen them like that too. Didn't understand it completely, and sure made me scratch my head.

Ya chase a ring quickly with the drawknife to 'one above' the bow's back. Then follow the snakey grain with a lateral centerline end to end, bandsaw away the waste wood from the sides, all the while assuming everything underneath that first ring will follow the same pattern, basically, only to find a different snake hiding under the first one when you scrape carefully down to the bow's good back. That's why I don't narrow those snakey ones too much too soon. Part of the fun/hunt :^)

I love, LOVE looking at those pics. That is some skitzo osage right there. Now you just have to talk them down off the ledge :^) I sure hope you keep us posted on your progress.

Did you get any indication of how long the tree was down? Seems like it's got a lot of moss on its skyward side and the bark was falling off as you split it? You got that other guy on top of it that's obviously been dead a long time too. But that piece of osage underneath it looks like it was cut so...

I would definitely go back for any billet length pieces.

Hey Clint if you decide to let any go put me down for one. Thanks DBar

Jeff, I have no idea how long it's been down. Years ago my brother in law went through our property cutting up any osage trees that fell in the area that he hunted. That was before I got into making bows, maybe 10 years ago. I've found some logs he cut and was able to get some good staves from them. Now he knows to check with me before cutting any up.

For the last several years I've cut only trees that have fallen over or had tops damaged by storms. Our soil is soft and the roots can't support the heavy trunks. They just tip over. Some go fast and some take years. I'm going after this one next.

Jeff, Check out the bark pattern on this osage tree. I lived within 40 yards of this tree for several years and never noticed it. It's on the property line and leaning the wrong way. I stop and look at this tree all the time. I'm formulating a game plan on how to get to fall on our side. I have no idea what the grain will be inside but it will be interesting. I've never seen bark like this before.

The bottom looks like it's interweaving grain. It might be a lot of work for nothing more than firewood. Or it could be some incredible bow staves. Only one way to find out.

Clint I've personally seen and heared about this tree for years. I sure hope and wish you will include me when you take this sucker down....I'd be greatfull if you would let me help. DBar

I'll try Bill. It might be a spur of the moment type of deal. I'm going to go look at the situation again this weekend and try to get something figured out.

Clint,

Do you find that the bores don't bother the trees when the naturally fall and season in the woods?

Sounds great, i understand spur of the moment comment :) ..... ill help you split it up into staves when you have it down....

LTD, Sometimes I find borers in dead fallen trees. I think it depends on how long its been dead. I've cut them with small black beetles in the sapwood and first few heartwood rings. I've noticed if a tree has a dead limb or spot on it, the borers will be in that spot and the surrounding areas.

That tree is radical! I would love to see what it looks like split.

That is what bowyers dreams are made of. John

Let 'em enjoy his wood before begging off him. I think sometimes it's best to keep nice finds to yourself.

Nice staves and a great find! Jawge

I'm loooking forward to seeing bow from one of those staves. This thread right here, now this is what I REALLY like about this site. Guys that make it and do it themselves. Osage selfie is acme of archery for me. Thanks for starting this thread.

@ swampwalker I don't think it was begging.....and as far as keeping it to yourself.....well... all I'm going to say is Clint's not that kind of person.

Lucky dog!

That is masters level osage for sure. Maybe even PHD stuff. It takes so much patience and persistence but bows from stuff like that will turn every head at a shoot. Thanks for showing us!

Interesting thread.

Clint, the bark in that standing tree is crazy. There's got to be some snakey wood under there, especially in that one section.

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