It has rather wide annular rings consisting of two distinctand different parts, one being of a hard, horny texture whilethe other is of a pithy cellular nature. The difference in thedensity and hardness of these rings renders it the most difficult
of all bow woods to work. It cannot be planed or shaved witha draw knife. It must be rasped, scraped, and sanded intoshape. It cannot be glued until the resin in the area of the gluejoint has been neutralized with caustic soda. By reason of thehand labor necessary to make a bow from it, bowyers try toavoid making them. It is also expensive.
Like yew, osage has a thin rind of white sapwood and aheartwood of a light yellow color. This yellow appears tooxidize and turn much darker when exposed to the light fora year or so. Also, like yew, it is difficult to find a tree largeenough to make a bow that is not full of imperfections.
