question about osage orange

BHQ

BHQ

we'll miss you
Silver Member
a friend of mine recently brought me some osage wood logs, approx. 4" to 5" in diameter. tree was cut about two years ago. i've got them turned down to 1.5".
how long should these age before attempting to use in a cue?
thanks, brent
 

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Last edited:
stix4sale said:
a friend of mine recently brought me some osage wood logs, approx. 4" to 5" in diameter. tree was cut about two years ago. i've got them turned down to 1.5".
how long should these age before attempting to use in a cue?
thanks, brent
Click to expand...

A year or two should be enough time but check it with a moisture meter.
I would recomend you have the rounds cored with maple just as extra insurance. I have a log of that stuff on the floor of my shop and use a slab of it every now and then to make a pen.
I bet it dulled your tools rather fast on that wood lathe.
That stuff is some hard hardwood.

Willee
 
bhq said:
a friend of mine recently brought me some osage wood logs, approx. 4" to 5" in diameter. Tree was cut about two years ago. I've got them turned down to 1.5".
How long should these age before attempting to use in a cue?
Thanks, brent

re: Osage orange question

quote:
Originally posted by 21whiskey
found an old thread about your osage orange and wondered what became of the wood you had?
http://forums.azbilliards.com//showt...ferrerid=79791

wow!!! From 6 years ago
you did some serious digging to find that
that wood was wet as hell
it split, cracked, warped,
anything bad you can think of, it did
i have used osage in a cue before then though
but it was wood that i bought, that was properly dried
Click to expand...
hi brent, i feel like an old dog sniffing out truffles.

the osage orange you had was a killer, i love what's happening with cues.
no longer ebony and maple, exotic woods are dominanting the scene and i'm all in.

see you out there :)
 

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live near osage river

brent, a buddy was cutting down an osage orange tree from his front yard and ask if i wanted some. he brought me a few pieces and they cracked, and split so bad i used then for firewood.
it is not a wood that i would suggest to use in cues.
 
desi2960 said:
brent, a buddy was cutting down an osage orange tree from his front yard and ask if i wanted some. he brought me a few pieces and they cracked, and split so bad i used then for firewood.
it is not a wood that i would suggest to use in cues.
Click to expand...

I have some Osage Orange that was carefully kiln dried that is crack free. I am guessing it has to be dried like Ebony with steam being introduced while drying. I am no wood drying expert, but there are some out there who can dry just about anything without it cracking. I still think I will core any of them I use just in case it is prone to warping.
 
chris, thats good enough for me

i'll try a piece next time i order from you, and yes i will core it. i love the look
 
I havent used it for a forearm but I have used it for points on an ebony front and they popped. Reason being the wood was warped and after cutting it down for points and plaining them off, I was still apprehensive but the cue is still straight, it didnt affect the front, no movement....
 
As I read this thread, I cannot help but remember the story my neighbor told me:

As a teenager in Oklahoma, there was a local tree they called Bodark (sp?) He said that it would take he and his brother 2-3 days to chop down a 6-8" tree with axes - and believe me, he knows how to sharpen an ax. They primarily used the Bodark logs as corner posts for range fences - because once set, they wouldn't bend or break or rot for years and years. Supposedly, his dad or uncle released a bull into a pasture that had these Bodark corner posts. For whatever reason, the bull took exception to one of those posts and charged it head on. Post was unharmed, but the collision killed the bull on the spot.

He asked me if I thought Bodark would make good cue wood and my research (Google) came up with Bodark as another name for Osage Orange!!!

Maybe there is more than one, but that's my story and I'm sticking with it!!! LOL :grin:

Gary
 
depends on the tree

A friend's osage orange tree was struck by lightning in '03 & he gave me a few pcs to see if I could do anything with them. I sawed & planed the wood down to 2.5 x 6 but never used any. The wood still stands in a corner of my shop & has not warped, split or cracked anywhere. I guess I got a good pc.

I gave some to a guy who made 6 duck calls from it. He sent one to me as payment & it is still solid & crack-free today. The only finish on it is a padding lacquer. The date on the shipping box is 11/04. You can see how the color has held up over 8 yrs.
 

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I made several cues out of osage, bodark, horse apple or bodak, whatever you want to call it. It is hard and very warp resistant, no need to core.

As I said I made several when I first started making cues as I kind of like the yellow with black points.
 

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It's some tough stuff and I've heard it is some of the best firewood, even without having been used for a cue beforehand.
 
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