Osage orange

[Bob Howell]

Cut a third of my Osage orange up today. Backs and fret board blank.
Must find or trade for sides. Any one have slab suitable for sides.

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I have 7 backs here and wood for 10 or more, but no sides.
Trade

[Bob Gramann]

Look for a private message.

[Bob Howell]

[

I got this log section, 27" at big end and 24 at small end. 22" long, a real monster. Base section, so lots of stress wood, with curl showing in sides I have cut so far. Cut it up last June and then these sides . Wood is already fairly dry with no free moisture. I think it will be ready by summer to use. Sides are 1/8-1/4" now. I used a blade designed to cut out green bowl blanks. 3/8", 3 tpi and .032 thick. I'm 72 and don't think I will use more than 2-3 sets in my lifetime. I have other wood like birdseye and curly maple.

Also I have great cherry I could use for sides paired with this osage. No one seems to do this but I think it would look great!!

[Bob Francis]

I think the colors would look great!

[Ed Minch]

Here is what the OO looks like a month old and a year down the line. I think the color might not look so good with cherry - ymmv

Ed

[Bob Howell]

That looks like cherry to me,but l am color blind in those shades. So I have a real problem there

[Bob Gramann]

I promise you that aged Osage and aged cherry do not share the same color though both are beautiful.

[Bryan Bear]

Agreed^^^^^^

[Bob Howell]

I love aged cherry and was hopping it would look good with aged osage but you seem to be saying both are beautiful but would not look good together. Is that it.

I see everyone matching sides and backs and find that limiting. But I know certain woods might not look good paired over time. Being slightly color blind in reds and brown strikes right where most woods fall and exasperates me.

Guess I must play it safe and pair woods as traditionally do.

For a real walk on the wild side; I have just discovered blood wood. I am wondering if I could pair it about 20% with osage for the fret board. Parlor for for a young girl. They love dramatic colors. But would it age well?

Now I am making perfling and back stripes of bloodwood maple and black veneer, but I am looking for ways to increase uses.

[Bob Howell]

How does Osage bend. How thick should it be taken down to for bending.

[Bob Gramann]

I make my Osage sides around .080” plus or minus .004”. It bends very nicely, sometimes dry, sometimes spritzing it helps. One of its names is “bois d’arc” pronounced “bodark” because it was used to make bows (like in “bow and arrow”) where bending is a useful property.

[Ed Minch]

OO is also called "poor man's Brazilian Rosewood" because of similarities in density and surface hardness. It sure sounds rich on the guitar and uke I have built with it - more staccato than a mahogany uke for sure.

Ed