Anyone who has worked with Osage Orange knows that it is a twisted, bumpy and wavy wood that is superior to most US hardwoods as a bow material. Osage has a flexibility not seen in locust, hickory or the other woods commonly used for bows.

Our staves whether they show saw marks or not are hand split with wedges to ensure good grain integrity. Sawed staves may or may not follow a twisting grain -- you never know till you take it down to the ring, and splitting ensures it runs close to right. That is why ours are split.

Osage Orange is the premium traditional bow wood for Plains Style Flatbows from 38 to 60 inches. It offers the best substrate for sinew-backed bows. In 1815 a sinew-backed Osage Orange bow was worth a horse and a blanket in trade in southern Missouri, so the excellence of this wood has long been recognized.

Our present stock was cut in winter of 2008, which means they are green staves at present and require further drying. Be sure to dry your bowstave in gentle drying conditions or it may split uncontrollably.

Our bowstaves come without bark, as the bark harbors the notorious beetle that can eat Osage heartwood. We remove this bark before drying.

Twists that put the two working limbs out of a sync.

Open knots or filled knots significantly larger than a pencil in the working area of the bow.

Cracks, checks or interruptions in the solid nature of the wood.

Bug holes

Excessive "pins" or solid small areas that would eventually grow to be a limb.

A slight front to back bend in the plane of one limb that could easily be heat-straightened (not including twists)

A small pin or two or even maybe three in a working area of a limb.

A solid knot in the handle section where there will be no stresses.

A solid knot in the nock area that would not be subject to bend stresses but be workable into a nock.

Deflex or a reverse bend in the entire stave toward the target.

Flex, or a bend in the stave toward the shooter.

A defect in a stave that is located outside the outline of the bow.

Select a length from the drop down menu based on the length of bow you wish to build.

We ship by UPS ground service and will only ship otherwise by special request.

Building and using archery equipment is dangerous if it is not done properly. Native Way assumes no liability for the use of any of it's materials in sport archery activities. By selecting a product below you agree to assume all responsibility for safe standards of use of these products. If you purchase a stave from us and working it reveals a significant hidden defect that would be prohibited by our grading standards then stop working the stave when you reveal the defect and email us a closeup picture of the defect and it's placement in the bow. Refund or replacement may not be available if you continue to work the stave and fail to accommodate the feature properly. Due to the nature of Osage Orange just because a bow fails at a knot or pin does not mean the defect caused the failure. Most often the bowyer failed to properly deal with the feature.