Osage as stock wood???

[Eric Krewson]

I may not know a lot about somethings but I do know a lot about osage. I just finished my 138th bow and have cut and stored enough osage to last me the rest of my life as a bowmaker.

I cut some pretty lousy osage when I first started collecting the stuff. Had I not persevered in gaining knowledge about what to cut and what to pass on I could have told some horrendous tales about the the unworkable quality of osage.

There was an osage dealer from Kansas that used to come to our events with the most beautiful, straight grained, knot free dimensional lumber imaginable, any length and thickness. Like I said good stuff is out there, you just have to look for it and know what you are looking for.

Every time I see bad information put out I feel the need to correct the misconceptions before people who really don't know accept them as fact.

Bow making is fraught with more old wives tales than any craft I have ever been involved with, most of them hog wash. All of these tales started as a misconception that crossed over into fact and was spread as like the gospel to the rest of the bow making community.

Being a debunker of myths is a thankless job with a lot of barbs being thrown my way but I still feel the need to shoulder the responsibility of the task.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I will beat this dead horse one more time.

Like I said putting osage or any other wood that hasn't been completely seasoned in an attic is a very bad idea. I know from experience, ruined some nice osage that way and a bunch of other ways early on, hot cars, closed up out buildings etc.

I have had a pinless moisture meter and temperature controlled drying box for the last 15 years or so I know exactly what will work for curing wood and what won't.

Any osage that has a M/C over 16% WILL crack if put in a hot environment, I found this out the hard way.

The thing about thick pieces, they may seem dry on the outside but will be green as a gourd in the center. I have been given a lot large chunky pieces of wood that the owner said had been cut for several years and stored in the dry. All was as green as the day it was cut in the center when I checked it with my moisture meter, much to the surprise of the gifter.

Another thing, osage dust, bad stuff to some people. Gives me a bad case of hay fever if I inhale too much of it. So I put in a really nice dust collection system in my shop with collector at my work station.

I am working on a walnut stocked fowler now and walnut dust really causes me problems, makes me pretty sick. I use a dust mask and the dust collector when I work work on my gun.

 

[Billnpatti]

Mighty fine shop and I can tell from looking at the bow in the vise that you are a gifted boyer. My hat is off to you. I do woodworking but confine my work to furniture. Many people have bad reactions to the various wood dusts. Wood dust from nut trees seems to head the list. I am fortunate not to be sensitive to these dusts but I don't push my luck, I wear a dust mask when working Walnut, Hickory, Pecan, etc.

BTW, my boyer friend is Tim Hamblin in Seymour, Indiana. I don't know if y'all have ever crossed paths. Tim is a fine guy and spends a lot of time at Friendship.

 

[ron ward]

bill,
i'm about in the same boat... spent a lifetime building furniture and " wooden things" and never had any reactions to any wood dust...lucky, i guess. but i too, don't push it, always keeeping in mind that it might just jump up and bite me in the arse, making what i really love doing, very un-enjoyable. my shop is my garage. last summer i built a large trestle table out of some very colorfull, un steamed black walnut (i hate the steamed stuff). i was sanding the top when i stopped and noticed that the shop looked like a brown cloud had moved in... holy cow, i opened the doors and got a fan going right away!

 

[Rifleman1776]

Eric, yes OO dust can be very irritating. Even worse, long term exposure can be a real hazard to your health. Walnut is also an irritant as are many other woods. I work quite a bit with OO and am careful to avoid the dust. Red cedar is another. I love the smell but the dust will put me down for several days.

 

[Billnpatti]

Yep, that's one thing we can all agree on, woodworking is great fun but the dust can be hazardous. Let's all work safely and use respiratory protection when making our projects from wood. :thumbsup: