Bow-Making Forum Argument About Sapwood Thickness Enters Fourth Calendar Year

A thread on the Traditional Bowyer's Forum titled 'Quick question about sapwood thickness' has officially entered its fourth calendar year, having accumulated 2,847 replies, 142 pages, and what moderators describe as 'a level of sustained hostility typically reserved for geopolitical disputes.' The thread, started in January 2022 by user NewBowyer99 with the question 'How much sapwood should I leave on my Osage stave?', received its first helpful answer within three minutes. It has not been helpful since. 'The correct answer is one growth ring,' wrote user HeartWoodOnly, setting off a chain reaction that would consume thousands of hours of collective human life. 'The correct answer is two growth rings,' replied OsageMaster, twenty minutes later, adding: 'Anyone who says one ring has clearly never worked Osage.' By page 40, the discussion had splintered into sub-arguments about regional Osage variations, the definition of a growth ring, and whether sapwood preferences constitute a 'personal choice' or 'an objective truth that the wrong people are too stubborn to accept.' By page 90, two users had challenged each other to a tillering competition to settle the matter. The competition was never held. By page 120, the original poster, NewBowyer99, made his only other appearance in the thread: 'I just left it all on and the bow came out fine. Thanks everyone.' This post received no replies. The thread remains active. Its most recent entry, posted yesterday, reads: 'I can't believe we're still arguing about this. That said, one ring is correct and I'll die on this hill.'