Main Discussion Area > HowTo's and Build-a-longs
Winter project - Yew Recurve bow
Stiks-N-Strings:
Been following this from the start. Great build along and fantastic craftsmanship.
I am as excited about seeing the final product as I get when finishing one up in my own shop.
Gordon:
Now I am going to process the sinew in preparation to using it for backing the bow. I am using dried elk leg sinew and will process 10 pieces to make sure that I do not run out of material while backing the bow. I first break the fibers up by pounding with a hammer on a hard surface. I don’t think it matters much what the surface is made of as long as it is hard. Some folks use a hardwood stump, Native Americans used flat stones – I use a small anvil. I make sure the surface of both the anvil and hammer are free of contaminants by cleaning with acetone.
After I’ve loosened the fibers I pull the tendon apart using pliers. If the piece is really stubborn I’ll clamp one of the loose ends in my bench vice and using pliers and some elbow grease pull the tendon apart. I’ll keep reducing the piece until I have a pile of strands about the thickness of ¼” rope.
After I have pounded and separated all of the tendons I further reduce the fibers to about the thickness of a pencil lead. In the process of reducing the fibers I sort them by length. It’s important to do this because I’m going to need various lengths of sinew fibers when I back the bow.
Next up – applying sinew backing
osage outlaw:
Gordon, your build-a-longs are great. I am really looking forward to seeing how you glue the sinew down. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Gordon:
To be honest, this is likely to be the weakest part of my build-a-long because I've not sinew backed many bows. So if anyone wants to contribute helpful hints please feel free to do so.
Keenan:
Gordon, Looking great so far. One thing that helps is rolling the sinew while pounding. It will help loosen the outer casing and breaks up better. I use a hammer with a slightly larger head (About 2lbs.) and just let the weight of the hammer do the work. I will roll and pound until the whole tendon appears swollen and is flexable. Then I start shredding. You are absolutely right about needing the smaller strips as well. It will help to keep from having joint overlap in the same places.
I always have the crock pot beside while stripping and just throw in the casings and any scraps that I don't want to mess with. You have a great buildalong going here!
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