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Osage Orange for ramrods?

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SeaBee133

40 Cal
Joined
Aug 18, 2024
Messages
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Location
Rosemark TN
Have a perfectly straight wind killed bois d’arc that will be split for bow staves. Thinking that the narrow “scrap” splits might make servicable ramrod billets.
If you have not used it, the wood wears like iron. Anvil stable, and twice as tough. I already use small scraps in my traditional forge, it burns as nice as anthracite, just watch for sparks.
The ramrod for my .54 GPR is about as stable as green willow twigs, i.e., not very. I have a couple hundred Osage trees that are select pruned by local traditional bowyers. I prefer wood to fiberglass or metal. Dowel sizing/shaping jig “should” produce a consistent rod blank. Works fine with iron bark elm.
Feasible? Thanks y’all
 
TNGhost said:
So long as you have straight grain running true the length of the rod, without any cross or angled grain, I can't see why it wouldn't work. From what little experience I had with it, I don't recall Osage being brittle or weak, quite the opposite.
Click to expand...
The weak rod is the factory Interarm issued oil finished mystery wood.
Only “problem” with Osage is it outgasses while turning from Mt Dew yellow to ochre as it dries. It stinks, bad.
Oh, it also sparks, and eats chisels.
 
In theory it should work fantastically.....

As long as you don't allow any grain run out.

As you know from making bows, unlike hickory with Osage you need to chase that ring. A ramrod doesn't need to be perfectly straight so following the natural contours of the grain is fine,,, just seems like a lot of trouble on something so small.
 
SeaBee133 said:
Have a perfectly straight wind killed bois d’arc that will be split for bow staves. Thinking that the narrow “scrap” splits might make servicable ramrod billets.
If you have not used it, the wood wears like iron. Anvil stable, and twice as tough. I already use small scraps in my traditional forge, it burns as nice as anthracite, just watch for sparks.
The ramrod for my .54 GPR is about as stable as green willow twigs, i.e., not very. I have a couple hundred Osage trees that are select pruned by local traditional bowyers. I prefer wood to fiberglass or metal. Dowel sizing/shaping jig “should” produce a consistent rod blank. Works fine with iron bark elm.
Feasible? Thanks y’all
Click to expand...

I’ve used Yew before, only because a friend gave me a sample left over from a long bow project. Osage is expensive to get in a dowel my opinion hickory works just fine for the purpose.

We often think of ramrods as precious, but the truth they’re very replaceable.
 
Brokennock said:
In theory it should work fantastically.....

As long as you don't allow any grain run out.

As you know from making bows, unlike hickory with Osage you need to chase that ring. A ramrod doesn't need to be perfectly straight so following the natural contours of the grain is fine,,, just seems like a lot of trouble on something so small.
Click to expand...

Agree, just a ramrod.
 
SeaBee133 said:
Have a perfectly straight wind killed bois d’arc that will be split for bow staves. Thinking that the narrow “scrap” splits might make servicable ramrod billets.
If you have not used it, the wood wears like iron. Anvil stable, and twice as tough. I already use small scraps in my traditional forge, it burns as nice as anthracite, just watch for sparks.
The ramrod for my .54 GPR is about as stable as green willow twigs, i.e., not very. I have a couple hundred Osage trees that are select pruned by local traditional bowyers. I prefer wood to fiberglass or metal. Dowel sizing/shaping jig “should” produce a consistent rod blank. Works fine with iron bark elm.
Feasible? Thanks y’all
Click to expand...
I have one on my trade gun. better than any fiberglas or hickory. I love mine.
 
Lead Nuggets said:
I brake at least one hickory rod a month, interested on how this turns out.
Click to expand...
If you are really break one a month, you either don't know how to select the rod blank or are using it improperly. Last one I broke was a few decades back because I got lazy removing the rod and bent it the last couple inches exiting the barrel. This eventually caused a failure at the brass tip. Straight grain won't break even if you accidentally drive your truck over it.

I bet osage would make a fine, good looking ramrod.
 
rp77469 said:
If you are really break one a month, you either don't know how to select the rod blank or are using it improperly. Last one I broke was a few decades back because I got lazy removing the rod and bent it the last couple inches exiting the barrel. This eventually caused a failure at the brass tip. Straight grain won't break even if you accidentally drive your truck over it.

I bet osage would make a fine, good looking ramrod.
Click to expand...
Well said have a habit of trying to push to much to fast . But iv mastered making them😂
 
SeaBee133 said:
ave a perfectly straight wind killed bois d’arc that will be split for bow staves. Thinking that the narrow “scrap” splits might make servicable ramrod billets.
Click to expand...
I've worked a lot of OO but in my area a piece like that would be very rare. I'm a kinda ram rod safety fanatic but believe that would work OK. However, be aware OO contains a lot of silica. It dulls my tools rather quickly and when cutting logs with a chain saw sparks are produced. You may not want that rubbing up and down inside yer barrel.
 
tenngun said:
Our go to is hickory but ash and elm were both traditional
If a rod is used correctly even good dowels can work.
Willow and dogwood can be used too.
The trick is grasp the rod just a few inches above the muzzle so it doesn’t get a place to bend and break.
Click to expand...
I wonder how beech would work? I know it is used for tool handles and stringed instruments.
 
tenngun said:
Our go to is hickory but ash and elm were both traditional
If a rod is used correctly even good dowels can work.
Willow and dogwood can be used too.
The trick is grasp the rod just a few inches above the muzzle so it doesn’t get a place to bend and break.
Click to expand...
It flexes even just a hand width above the muzzle.
 
SOLANCO said:
I wonder how beech would work? I know it is used for tool handles and stringed instruments.
Click to expand...

Alternative woods that work very well for ramrods are

White Oak, Black Locust, Elm, Yew and Ash.

The French used something called Holly Oak which is very similar to white oak.

What makes a wooden rammer strong is less taper, this consequently requires a bigger stock.

You can always make a fake wooden rod, that is by boring out sections of dowel rod in lengths of 10” and lining the center with a stainless steel threaded rod (epoxy adhere’s between the threads). It’s a lot of work for just a ramrod, but I’ve done it. You then taper the rod and stain the rod to cover up the seams. It’s overkill for sure, but people want to know their rammers are going to survive the next apocolypse.
 
rp77469 said:
If you are really break one a month, you either don't know how to select the rod blank or are using it improperly. Last one I broke was a few decades back because I got lazy removing the rod and bent it the last couple inches exiting the barrel. This eventually caused a failure at the brass tip. Straight grain won't break even if you accidentally drive your truck over it.

I bet osage would make a fine, good looking ramrod.
Click to expand...
finding a rod that is made from a tree split instead of table saw cut is the deal . a guy can break the sawn rod and run it through your hand
 
SeaBee133 said:
Have a perfectly straight wind killed bois d’arc that will be split for bow staves. Thinking that the narrow “scrap” splits might make servicable ramrod billets.
If you have not used it, the wood wears like iron. Anvil stable, and twice as tough. I already use small scraps in my traditional forge, it burns as nice as anthracite, just watch for sparks.
The ramrod for my .54 GPR is about as stable as green willow twigs, i.e., not very. I have a couple hundred Osage trees that are select pruned by local traditional bowyers. I prefer wood to fiberglass or metal. Dowel sizing/shaping jig “should” produce a consistent rod blank. Works fine with iron bark elm.
Feasible? Thanks y’all
Click to expand...
I would say if there’s no sap layer and it’s rived it should be a tough rod. The wood is as you know flexible.
Keep us informed
 
IMG_1301.jpeg

IMG_1300.jpeg

Original on top, hand made oak replacement on bottom.
 
Dismount said:
finding a rod that is made from a tree split instead of table saw cut is the deal . a guy can break the sawn rod and run it through your hand
Click to expand...
I make rods and arrow shafts out of sawn blanks all the time. Straight grain hickory for rods and they don't break.

What we call grain is actually growth rings. Runout is not always the end of a rod especially in hickory. What is important is the number of growth line runout compared to the total number of growth lines in the rod. If they all run out it's going to be at risk but even in that case a hickory rod will hold if it's not abused.

Rods made of oak hardware store dowels can be perfectly adequate if runout is minimal.

The only rod I've ever had break was a CVA rod made of ???? Wood.
 

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