With that hawk handle it looks like you probably followed a growth ring. It might be the better way to go with that grain orientation. Might allow the handle to flex a little instead of break. Particularly if it was being thrown.
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Craftsman mini hatchet with curly osage handle
- Thread starter osage outlaw
- Start date
With that hawk handle it looks like you probably followed a growth ring. It might be the better way to go with that grain orientation. Might allow the handle to flex a little instead of break. Particularly if it was being thrown.
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2015
- Messages
- 183
You must live in Illinois ? I have an Osage stave if I post some pics could you tell if it's worth trying to make a bow out of ? If not I will probably make a haft out of it.
Close, Indiana. Go ahead and post the pictures of the stave. I cut and split 110 bow staves between Thanksgiving and Valentines day. I never get tired of seeing osage.
Thanks mhutch. Our property is about 75% osage trees. The property lines are marked with hedgerows. Bow making was a good hobby for me to get involved in.
Ah, I missed the post where you mentioned that you make longbows. That's a project that I'd love to try someday. I hunted with a compound bow in high school and started playing around with a primitive recurve recently but I've got a loooooong ways to go before I'm ready to hunt with one...or shoot it when someone else is around...A buddy of mine in Oregon made an osage longbow that he's taken all kinds of big game with, including a moose. Awesome hobby, just takes so much time.
From what I understand, osage was a very popular tree when people were planting hedgerows. My grandmother grew up on a farm in western Nebraska where there were zero trees originally (her parents still lived in a sod house past the turn of the century) so when the Civilian Conservation Corps or whatever came through planting trees that's what they used a lot of. I always thought they were native to the part of Kansas I grew up in because they were so widespread but apparently their native range is just a small chunk of land in Texas, Oklahoma, and a tiny bit in Arkansas. I didn't realize they were so common even further north.
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2015
- Messages
- 183
Ah, I missed the post where you mentioned that you make longbows. That's a project that I'd love to try someday. I hunted with a compound bow in high school and started playing around with a primitive recurve recently but I've got a loooooong ways to go before I'm ready to hunt with one...or shoot it when someone else is around...A buddy of mine in Oregon made an osage longbow that he's taken all kinds of big game with, including a moose. Awesome hobby, just takes so much time.
From what I understand, osage was a very popular tree when people were planting hedgerows. My grandmother grew up on a farm in western Nebraska where there were zero trees originally (her parents still lived in a sod house past the turn of the century) so when the Civilian Conservation Corps or whatever came through planting trees that's what they used a lot of. I always thought they were native to the part of Kansas I grew up in because they were so widespread but apparently their native range is just a small chunk of land in Texas, Oklahoma, and a tiny bit in Arkansas. I didn't realize they were so common even further north.
You should try making a bow and hunting with it. Making a weapon and putting meat on the table with it is a great accomplishment. I've killed two deer with an osage bow over the last two seasons. My first was a young 8 point buck. I used a cane arrow and knapped stone point. It ran less than 40 yards after the shot before dropping. This past season I used a metal point that I made from used band saw blade material from work.
Osage grows as far north as Michigan as far as I know. Indiana has scattered areas of it. Osage fences were called horse high, bull strong, and hog tight. The invention of barbed wire caused the end of osage fences
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2015
- Messages
- 25
When making a long axe handle from Osage is it best to split the wood down to the appropriate size like you would a bow stave??? I'm making a 30" handle with the grain running parallel with the axe. I have a large rough cut 2"x8"x36" with good grain, but the problem lies in that will the side grain split out when using the axe. I know from making bows that I need one growth ring, but now it's on its side and is a side bend instead of a back bend. Can I just cut out a 2x4 on the table saw or do I need to spit it so that the grain is the same, not to be confused with the the growth ring.