When it comes to making bows i have so many questions! this was very helpful thank you for sharing! I live in minnesota i spent my spare time last winter trying to make a bow and failed every time but learned so much each time i didnt even care. Now i know much more about wood grain and types to use. No osage here in mn sadly, but im going to give some elm i split staves of a go! It was still standing but had been dead for a long time only other wood ive tried is ash so wish me luck!
I'm glad you learned some. Be careful trying to use dead whitwoods for bows. They are often rendered useless by fungi if they have been dead for very long. Most elm in the U.S. is killed by Dutch elm disease which is also a fungus. You best bet would be to cut a live elm.
