I have question about bow wood. I have made a 3 self bows from hickory board. they really shoot well and my question is osage really that much better bow wood? I want to make one from osage but these hickory bows shoot really well. just wanted your guys input.

I have question about bow wood. I have made a 3 self bows from hickory board. they really shoot well and my question is osage really that much better bow wood? I want to make one from osage but these hickory bows shoot really well. just wanted your guys input.

I have made all wood bows from 18 species of tree, many BBO, sinew, rawhide etc, all since 1991. Only osage since 99, and only osage selfbows since 2008. IMHO any other wood is a waste of my time (others opinions will vary)

This questions reminds me of the old Osage - Whitewood wars on here back in the day.

I, too, have made bows from every conceivable bow wood and then some.

It is personal preference.

Osage is excellent but it doesn't grow on trees around here. Ideally, you have to chase to a heartwood ring for the back.

Hickory is practically bullet proof but requires moisture management. If I make a bow from any wood, especially hickory, it stays in AC in the summer and heated areas in the winter.

Jawge

here in the land of high humidity...osage is king. Like Mike I have used many species of wood, but osage is the best, for me.

Ive made bows put of damn near every wood i could get my hands on.....osage is king

Yep, Osage is better than hickory in my opinion. For me, it's not just about how the bows shoot. Osage makes the kind of bow I prefer, narrow, fully radiused belly, heavy draw weight, full of character, I especially like the snakey ones. I like chasing rings. But even when I'm in the mood to make a bow other than a selfbow, it usually still a bamboo backed osage, sinew backed osage, or osage trilam of some sort.

Once in a while I'll use a different wood just for a change, but for me it's osage or yew more times than not.

Nope. Depending as Jeff said, on the kind of bow that you want to make. You have to build a bow design that works with the characteristics of the wood. Hickory won't make the best long narrow bow, but it works extremely well in a flatter wider limb.

Lots of wood make great bows in my opinion. That includes Hickory, Pecan (which essentially is Hickory), Elm, Sycamore, and many others.

Osage, yew, vine maple all yield the same cast with the same bow specs. I make flatbows not ELBs

Now, Whitey, that is a mighty strong statement. Add pecan and hickory, and add designs that differ depending upon the wood, and you may be close to right. It would take a lot of experience to get the designs right for all those woods. Gawge may have about enough experience, but even he may need a little more work with osage. Could somebody kindly send him some high grade staves for the benefit of all of us? - lbg

longbowguy, thanks for thinking of me.

I've made quite a few osage bows and bows of other woods. It has been fun.

I have some osage staves in waiting and waiting and waiting because I'm just getting old.

I've said for years that the design must fit the stave.

There is no magic in any bow wood.

The magic is in the hands of the bowyer.

Jawge

I've made bows from all kinds of wood, osage is good, hickory is good. Lots of other good bow woods.

This became a hot topic 20 years ago, which culminated with the first Mojam meet.

Yes, its been 20 years since the Wood Wars guys!

Anybody have a digital version of the list of bow performance at that first MOJAM?

There were some surprises in the chronograph results. Tim Baker's hickory bows were good performers.

Longbowguy. Yes it does take some exp, I cheated a little because I was friends with Jim Fetrow and we visited quite a bit my first 25 years building bows. Decent Osage is easy to get a hold of I doubt most have touched a yew stave let alone a good one and even fewer low crown vine maple. Give it a try. 66” bow 31” limbs 4” handle 1.75” at the fades to 1/2” tips.

I have. I've touched em a few times.

I'm working on a Fetrow yew stave now, now that you mention it... and she's a beaut. Best yew stave I've had, and I've had some good ones. Jim weren't no bs'r. He walked it before he talked it. He knew good yew, where and how it grew, how to find it, fetch it, and properly season it. He respected it and did it justice in his work. He helped me in ways related to bow making and otherwise, but this stave was really quite the gift. I'll always be grateful and try to pay it forward.

Being friends with Jim wasn't cheating, but I know what you meant. It was humbling, inspiring, and raised the bar.

By the way, those are almost precisely the dimensions of my best vine maple bow... 'Wart'.

That’s awesome jeff. He was gracious, sharing and plain spoken a true individual.

Jim Fetrow was a fine man indeed.

I've had self bows from just about all the woods that have been used for bows. Osage is at the top of the list, in fact it's above the top.

Pope and Young used Yew bows ubtil the went to Alaske, then they switched to Osage because their Yew bows couldn't take the cold climate.

Several years ago I made a 140# english longbow from osage. It didn't take so much as 1/2" set yet it shot like a dog. I went ahead and just tillered down into a 50# american flatbow and it shot as well as any osage I have ever made.

Osage is still the king. But in dry climates I recommend hickory! And yes badger Osage did not make a English Longbow for me. I think that design leans toward yew. Arvin

When I can get a good piece of Black Locust, and sinew back it I am very satisfied with the results. Made properly it rivals my sinew backed Osage bows.JMO.

Thanks for responses guys. I will make one out of osage eventually but really happy with the hickory. I didn't realize you should keep them in heat in winter and cool in summer made mine in last winter and kept them in unheated garage. I haven't noticed any decline in performance. What should I keep an eye out for?

When hickory sucks up moisture it won't break, but loses its resilience, loses cast, takes more set, etc.

True enough Jeff, the humidity of the midwest is tough to overcome but the right design does help with hickory. I understand a good hickory bow becomes an excellent hickory bow in the drier climes like Arizona or California.

It is tough durable wood and a mainstay of mine for many years till I found some osage. Yep I like osage but will not turn my back on hickory when I find the right tree or split stave.

Saxton said of Yew and Osage that Yew had the best performance overall for their style of bow...English longbow style, but you could drop an Osage bow off a cliff, then go pick it up and hunt with it. That tells me Osage makes a pretty good English longbow as well.

I've only been at this for about five years. I spent the the first two and a half using white ash( all dead now) Hop Hornbeam, and Elm. They all made satisfactory bows. I've made a bunch of HHB. I just finished one up a few weeks ago but haven't had a chance to get pictures yet. It's a very nice shooter. About three years ago I gained access to my first Osage log. It was a very nice straight log. I split it and removed bark and sapwood and sealed backs and ends. The staves twisted in every which direction. I took the skinniest most twisted up one and roughed it out to a floor tiller. It was still very wet and I didn't bend it but it seemed pretty weak to me and at that point I wasn't very impressed with Osage. I had a lot of work into what seemed like a very twisted up crooked piece of rubbery wood. I put it on my pile and left it there till winter. Come winter and I was really surprised how stiff it had become since it dried. It was just a sliver of wood compared to what I had previously used with other bow woods. I chased a ring and it seemed easier to follow the ring since it had dried. Next I needed to do some straightening. I'm was amazed how nice it bent with a little heat. I got it close enough to be able to steam in some static recurves and a while it was on my caul I used dry heat to straighten and heat treat. Just amazing how well it could be manipulated with a little heat. I removed my clamps and it stayed right on my caul. I was getting more impressed with the Osage. I let it re climatize for a week and started tillering. I loved how all my hand tools work on it. It was so much easier to remove wood than HHB. Draw knife, rasp and scrapers all work fantastic on it. I turned that narrow sliver into a 52lbs at 25" stiff handle selfbow. I was really surprised how much that sliver of wood gave me. Then I shot it and was again very pleased. It was still late season doe and snowing out. I didn't have any finish on her but I took her out hunting a couple times. Never had a opportunity for a shot, but really enjoyed the feeling of carrying that bow to the woods. I shot it a lot and it took hardly any set. You could still almost put it back on the caul. It changed from yellow to a very dark suntanned Osage color with some darkness on the belly from the heat treat still showing. I put several coats of tru oil on and called her "Simply Orange ". I've never questioned Osage since.

It's a really fun wood to make a bow from. It performs very nice and holds its shape extremely well. My only problem is I seem to be somewhat allergic to it . My sinuses will start bleeding from the dust and sometimes I get some slight rashes. It doesn't stop me though. It's worth the discomfort.

There are good bow woods. I haven't used hickory or Yew. My suggestion is if you don't want to be spending money on Osage, don't start using it. You won't be able to put it down.lol.

Bjrogg

I say Osage is King

Good story, Brian.

When I'm in the mood to make a bow, it's hard to pick up anything other than osage. I have several roughed in with other woods and they've been getting passed by for a long time.

You summed it up well BJ. I've only made a handful of bows... All osage. Guess I'm spoiled.

Well, that's it. When you apply osage dimensions to a whitewood, the whitewood will come up short. But when you make the whitewood bow longer and wider then it will be fine. Conversely, when you apply whitewood dimensions to osage it may be a clunker.

Years ago I made a bow from a sucker of osage that was 1 inch wide. It had 3 inches of reflex and came out to 48#.

Early on I wanted to gain experience with a variety of woods including black locust, osage, yew, elm, hop hornbeam, American hornbeam, maples, white and red oak, Australian pine, lemon wood, hickory and others I forgot.

I enjoyed working with all of them and they all shot just fine as long as the design is right for the wood.

Jawge

"they all shot just fine as long as the design is right for the wood" Yep.

I have made many bows from most wood Tennessee has to offer[and that is a lot] plus throw in a few from yew and vine maple and will have to say they all made fine bows but as for forgiveness while building and long lasting with minimum care Osage is king. Pappy

A well made hickory bow will shoot as well as any bow, that beinds said,, I think osage is a bit more durable and resistant to moisture,,

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