Let's Talk With Bill G Awhile

[ammoaddict]

That post looks political to me..

I haven't been able to figure out how yet, but it's got to be political!!!

At least it's not leaning to the left.

 

[Bill G]

Funny you mentioned it Bill. I'd never heard of "Osage orange" either until a few years ago when a neighbor who is originally from Illinois brought some seeds up here and was talking to the Alaska DNR about being allowed to plant them here.
I always knew them simply as hedge apple trees.

They have always just been called Hedge here but I know other areas call them different. It is like pop, soda, and cola we are all speaking the same language but use a few different words.

Now when someone calls this a truck I get a bit bewildered.................

 

[Bill G]

At least it's not leaning to the left.

Many Saturday nights (Sunday afternoons there) I get on the phone with a buddy down in Australia. He always says he is coming up to visit. I keep telling him if he does we will have to teach him how to drive on the right side of the road. He gets flustered claiming the left side is right. I tell him "naw dammit the right side is right and the left side is wrong"
Damn Aussies

 

[thedude74]

 

[Gullet]

View attachment 421592

The day they changed which side of the road to drive on, Sweden, 1967.....

 

[Bill G]

The day they changed which side of the road to drive on, Sweden, 1967.....

View attachment 421603

I would love to make a comment about the hard headed Swedes but I need to be nice

 

[Only the Tony]

Never made a bow from it, but I know some people who have. Got to split it green if I remember right. Also called bois d'arc. 24" bar.

 

[Bill G]

I do not know anything about making bows but common sense to my simple mind says they have to flex. I have never seen a Hedge post flex but heck who knows.

 

[Gullet]

I do not know anything about making bows but common sense to my simple mind says they have to flex. I have never seen a Hedge post flex but heck who knows.

I don't think you made a fence post as thin as a bow.

 

[Ketchup]

Osage makes excellent bows.

 

[Gullet]

Osage makes EXPENSIVE bows!

Fixed it.

 

[Bill G]

I don't think you made a fence post as thin as a bow.

I never made a fence post but I have cut and "planted" many. As I said I do not know how to make a bow.

 

[Bill G]

Osage makes excellent bows.

I would love to hear more about that.

 

[Lnk]

I do not know anything about making bows but common sense to my simple mind says they have to flex. I have never seen a Hedge post flex but heck who knows.

Thin your post and it will flex, but then it wouldn't be a post, it would be a bow!

 

[trooney]

Talk about a total derail....I like!

 

[Al Smith]

I'm not a member of Arborist Site any more, and haven't been for a few years.....so if this animosity is stemming from something that happened there....I'm unaware. Help me to understand...

To answer that "there " has gone to the dogs years ago .It became the pecking order of chickens .Bill has opinions just like all of us do .We don't need to agree with them but we don't have to be gossipy about it either like a spoiled fourth grader .
Saying that I'll just add that forum mentioned is long ago is in my rear view mirror along with several others of which they shall remain .

 

[Al Smith]

A bit of humor from years ago ..Unknown at the time on E-bay I often out bid Bill .I have an extremely fast computor and a lightning fast connection .I could throw snipe bids with less then 10 seconds to go .At that time I knew many peoples on line bidding name .However some times the very first sale of an item may not be the last with the following sales fetching lower prices .Often or so it seems I kind of chit in my own mess kit with my antics . It was all in fun because it wasn't like trying to buy a million dollar plantation in the south Pacific .WTH more so like 25 NOS saw chains I'd never use .I'm not really certain where they are at any more .

 

[Lone Wolf]

Many Saturday nights (Sunday afternoons there) I get on the phone with a buddy down in Australia. He always says he is coming up to visit. I keep telling him if he does we will have to teach him how to drive on the right side of the road. He gets flustered claiming the left side is right. I tell him "naw dammit the right side is right and the left side is wrong"
Damn Aussies

Matt?

 

[Ketchup]

I would love to hear more about that.

Certain species just have more uniform tension and grain, and the cells rebound better. Osage is one of the best. You can make bows out of almost any wood but many will be very difficult to work, have a smaller amount of flex or just permanently compress more quickly. Mulberry and Larch are also excellent. White Ash is an easy starter species, though the end product won’t last as long.

It’s not my thing but my Dad has been making bows for years. He learned before the internet. Now there’s more info out there than you’ll ever need.

Anyone interested in woodworking should try making a bow. It’s a very deep dive into the properties of wood.

 

[Sloughfoot]

I've only ever seen one of those Osage Orange trees here in PA and it's a 4' tall one that I planted in my yard 3yrs ago. Best firewood ever (at least in the Eastern US) or so I've heard

Had to look it up. 32.9 million BTUs per cord. 2nd is Shagbark Hickory at 27.7. Your common firewood species like Oak, Maple are 24-26.