OT: My Osage grove

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hollowdweller

Joined
Sep 22, 2003
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Well I have always been fascinated by Osage because it's somewhat rare here and they are a cool tree, in some ways remind me of Honey Locust another very durable tree with badass thorns :mad:

So last year a net search found me ordering 50 seedlings from the Missouri division of forestry.

I didn't get around to planting them till late last summer and I was worried they might not make it through the winter, but I checked all of them this morning and they are budding out like a m*thaf*cker!!!

So maybe Yvsa, and some of you other guys in their range, how fast do they grow. I realize it will be slightly difft here in the north but should they put on pretty fast growth?? I have them planted along a road on the edge of my hayfield and on the edge of my hayfield near the creek (ie rich soil, plenty water, full sun) to hopefully hold the bank on.
 
They were planted all over central Illinois as wind-breaks around the turn of the century. Sounds like that's what you're doing. When they get big, you can start making bows :D I hear it's very good for that.
 
hollowdweller said:
So maybe Yvsa, and some of you other guys in their range, how fast do they grow. I realize it will be slightly difft here in the north but should they put on pretty fast growth??
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Lots of variables. They should do pretty well where you have them. Plenty of water helps.

The Honey Locust heartwood also makes good bows. It's what the Cherokee favored in the old homeland.
 
I love Osage Orange. I made a pocket stick out of some of it and it turned out beautifuly.

Do the thorny sections grow straight? With a root ball and the thorn nubs, you could make some nice shilelaghs.
 
Jebadiah_Smith said:
I love Osage Orange. I made a pocket stick out of some of it and it turned out beautifuly.

Do the thorny sections grow straight? With a root ball and the thorn nubs, you could make some nice shilelaghs.
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Please define "pocket stick.":rolleyes: ;)

"Do the thorny sections grow straight?"

Bwhahahahaha Hehehehehe "do they grow straight?" :D
In a word, No.;)

I have only seen one straight and I mean perfectly straight Bois D'Arc bow made from a perfectly straight stave of a perfectly straight Bois D'Arc tree in my entire 65 years.
There was not one knot, blemish, wave, imperfection, or otherwise problem with this bow!!!! :eek:
A guy that worked for the Tulsa Park Dept found the tree in his wanderings. Eddie waited until the coldest day in February to cut it down.
He seasoned it perfectly and there was not one crack, split, bow, or twist in the stave.:D
I knew the bastard got more than one stave out of that tree and tried to talk him out of one but he never relented.:mad:
I've often wondered if a man couldn't wrap a tree with heavy burlap or something to keep it from putting out branches or multiple trunks like Osage is famous for.
Keeping it growing perfectly straight would be another problem though.:(
 
Yvsa said:
I've often wondered if a man couldn't wrap a tree with heavy burlap or something to keep it from putting out branches or multiple trunks like Osage is famous for.
Keeping it growing perfectly straight would be another problem though.:(
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I don't know enough about osage's growth to say, but on other trees if you plant them close enough together then the old branches die off and it self prunes. However I read that the dead branches stay on Osage a long time so maybe that has something to do with the lack of straight branches.

Yvsa,

So far as I know I have never seen a pic of an osage bow. Gotta pic of one or a link :confused:
 
Jebadiah_Smith said:
No straight osage orage? No osage orange bows?

This will blow some minds:

http://www.bowstaves.com/
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No, don't take me wrong Jeb.;) There's a lot of Osage Bows and a lot of trees that will make perfectly acceptable bow staves but they're seldom perfectly straight or knot free.
It doesn't really hurt anything as you can straighten a roughed out bow with steam if need be and the knots are generally small and can be worked around.
I've seen more and more Osage bows being made that are for sale at different places like ndn gatherings, powwows, as well as craft fairs and the like that are really nice, and expensive as well.:D
One in particular that I would've loved to had was what the gentleman called a "snake bow."
The bow had multiple short curves in it from one tip to the other but the string centered perfectly with the center of the bow. It was absolutely Beautiful!!!! :cool: :D
I don't know what the ratio of the trees that will make decent bow staves here versus those that won't are in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and the other states it was planted as hedgerows but around here it has got to be a 100 to 1 from my experience.
There's a grove of Osage off the Interstate going towards Muskogee that I'd really like to wander through. I know there's just gotta be a couple of suitable trees in there!:D

Also Jeb from what I've read in the past almost all bow wood grows crooked, knotty, or with some other potential defect and it's unusual to be able to find one like I posted about that is perfect in every way.
I think maybe Ash and possibly Elm is a lot easier to find really good specimens of.
Maybe when/if Hawkwind sees this he can tell us his experiences with bow wood.:D :cool:

Edit:
This is from the link you posted Jeb.;)
Osage Orange loves to grow twisted,crooked,and full of limbs.Finding good quality Bow Staves is very diffucult.Getting a straight Stave,excellent growth ring pattern and few limb knots is very time consuming and even then getting all three wood issues at the same time is rare.All of our Osage Staves are carefully selected as best we can to help provide you good wood.We try to match the Osage Stave to you by asking many questions about your Bowmaking experience.We want you to have a pleasant Bowmaking experience.

Remember, James works the wood with no POWER TOOLS.We do not short cut in preparing our Staves.


Please Note:

Every possible precaution is taken to insure your getting good wood,but there is no such thing as a perfect Stave.James tries very hard to ship the best Osage he can.Your stick may have imperfections.The price you pay determines as to the quality of the Stave.Absolutely no Stave is sent out from which a good bow can not be made,but as the maker is largely responsible for the finished bow,results are not guaranteed.

Hollow, don't have a pic or a link but you can maybe follow the one Jeb put up and find something. It seems to me that I've seen Osage bows either on that link or off the links that site has posted.
 
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