Cutting Osage Stave in the winter or spring?

[Spot shooter]

I'm making more trails in the woods.

 LOTS, and I mean LOTS of Osage there -   is it still ok to cut staves.  Normally I try to do it in the fall.

Spot

[Longhunter]

Try this site for info on osage

http://www.osageorange.com/

[Indiana]

That's a good link, Ron!  Thanks for posting it.

[Spot shooter]

Fletcher told me the best time was the fall.

THey don't say anything about the time of year on that site.

I have frequented it before, but thanks for the consideration to post it.

Spot

[Indiana]

If Fletch says it, it must be!  Fletch knows his stuff!  

[Iktomi]

Since you are going to remove the sapwood and work up a heartwood ring for the back of the bow, you will lose any recent growth. Cut any time of year, it makes not one lick of difference. Just remember, as soon as you fall an osage tree, seal the cut ends well with wax or carpenter's glue to prevent checking. Osage will check like crazy when fresh cut and you have to seal it sooner than right away.

[Fletcher]

I have made Osage both ways and I prefer a small layer of sapwood on the back because of the beautiful color contrast.  If you are going to do it that way it IS important to cut the osage in the fall so the sapwood has slowed down growth.  Waxing the ends for proper drying is very important.  The sapwood can check and/or crack if it drys out too fast.

An osage from heartwood is good, but you want to make your back near the sapwood for the most flexible part of the wood.  Bows like that should still be dried with the sapwood on and then remove the sapwood slowly to expose the complete growth ring of the first layer of heartwood.

If you cut the stave properly, you can use the center heartwood for other purposes like hawk or knife handles.  It is a very pretty wood and very tough.

[woodman]

On time of year of cutting woods. If you want to peel bark it comes off easier in the spring and summer because of the rising and flowing of the sap. Winter cut the bark is fixed to the wood and harder to peel. For leaving bark on it has to be cut in the winter.
 Woodman