Main Discussion Area > HowTo's and Build-a-longs
Winter project - Yew Recurve bow
Gordon:
Thank you for the nice words Mark.
Scott, I actually have a bandsaw and I use it a lot. But I wanted folks who are newer to the craft to benefit from the build-a-long and many of them don't have access to power tools. The wood handled tool you are referring to is a scraper. It's called a Bowyer's edge and is sold by Dean Torges. I use this tool a lot. I typically use the shorter yew pieces for handles. If you want to make some bow reels out of it, that would be pretty cool. I'd be happy to send you some.
Thanks for the compliment Randman. I actually use those shoes for hunting. They are quiet and you can feel every stick and twig under your feet which is great when you are stalking elk.
Gotta go now and mix up the hide glue.
Gordon:
Today I will be applying the sinew backing to the bow. I start by mixing up the glue. I’ll be using a mixture of dried hide glue flakes that I got from a woodworking store and some Knox unflavored gelatin. I’m using a mixture because I don’t have enough dried hide glue for the whole job. I put the mixture in about 2 cups of water in a stainless steel bow and slowly heat it to about 140 degrees using a crock pot as a double boiler. In about 2 hours I have a nice amber colored glue about the consistency of light syrup.
While the glue is heating, I prepare the bow for the sinew job. First I sand the back with 60-grit paper to rough it up a bit. I then put small groves into the surface of the back by running a toothing plane blade along the length of each limb. The surface needs to be absolutely free of contaminants to ensure good glue adhesion so I wipe it down with acetone. After the acetone has flashed I rinse the limbs with boiling water.
Gordon:
The final preparation step is to size the surface with glue. This step is necessary to ensure that there will be a good bond between sinew and wood. I apply 3 coats of warm hide glue using a clean brush and let the glue dry between applications.
Now I am ready to begin applying sinew to the bow. I begin by laying out bundles of different lengths sinew on my bench. Each bundle is made up of about 5-7 strands of sinew.
Gordon:
I’m going to lay the first row of sinew down the center of the limbs. I start by taking a bundle of long sinew strands and swirl it in the warm hide glue for several minutes until it is saturated. I hold the bundle in the middle to prevent the ends from tangling. About midway through the process I move my hold to a different spot to allow the sinew that was between my fingers to become saturated with glue. After the bundle is saturated, I gently squeeze the excess glue from the bundle and then I comb the fibers straight to prevent them from crossing over when I lay them down.
Gordon:
I center the first bundle down the handle of the bow and then starting from the center of the bundle I run a wooden dowel toward the ends to smooth the bundle and push it into the surface. I then place additional bundles end to end until I have a continuous strip of sinew down the center of the bow.
Next I place bundles to each side of the center bundle making sure to stagger the joints between bundles so that no weak spot is created across the limb. I continue the process until the entire limb is covered with sinew. This is what the bow looks like after applying the first course of sinew.
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