Main Discussion Area > Horn Bows
240's sheep horn bow build with Tom Lucas
NorthHeart:
DC-Tom doesnt like them reflexed. Says they will still pull into a bit of reflex after talking them off the boards anyhow. But they will be easier to string, and will be less likely to debrace after the shot when the string comes back forward. Maybe ill experiment with letting them reflex a bit more on future hornbows that i build.
Today we sinewed my second bow. Time to let it dry.
GlisGlis:
cant wait for the sinew to cure.
this is a super interesting thread :OK
Oglala Bowyer:
It looks like both bows have all the layers of sinew on already. Is this true? Some people will add a layer and wait a few days before another is applied and continue this until they have 5-6 layers. How many layers have you put on?
NorthHeart:
Oglala- yes both my horn bows already have all the sinew applied, 3 layers total, overlapping at the ends. Im told this should be enough for a 40-50# bow, and by adding more layers we risk having a super heavy draw weight. Tom prefers to do all layers at once so that they adhere appropriately and the glue from one layer absorbs right down into the next. This means we have to work fast, and the sinew job isn't as pretty as some iv'e seen where people do multiple layers one at a time, or slowly apply each strand. I guess we will see how it turns out when its dried.
Since i choose to use Toms help from the beginning, i wanted to complete these bows using as much of his advice as possible. I know that it can be frustrating to a mentor whenever an apprentice wants to do something his own way that he has no experience with, like these horn bows. One of the issues he had was that my sinew was not prepared as neatly as his, so the completed sinew job was a little less nice(he was fighting tangles with mine) than on the bow he was making for a customer(the third bow in some of the pics). However, in my own defense, I never realized that there was a better, neater way to process sinew into more organized strands like his. Now i do. So if the sinew back doesn't turn out as good as it could have we know why. He did the best he could using his method and my poorly organized sinew bundles. He does however leave each bundle where its obvious he layered them, says that's normal on his bows.
There is another question i have regarding sanding down the sinew. Tom never sands his, but as previously mentioned his final layers usually look a bit nicer than mine. I personally have sanded sinew on my wood bows down so that it looks nicer and applies more even stress on each limb. I know that sanding through sinew probably somewhat reduces its benefits, but what i'm referring to are the outer layers...or somewhere where its vastly uneven and thick. Also, i will not hesitate to add a strip of sinew in where there is a void after the fact. But i mainly use TB3, and am still a novice to hide glue. Ill be interested in looking at how others apply their sinew on horn bows.
I pick up both bows from Toms place tomorrow as i depart for Montana. I will post pics on how they look as the sinew dries and flattens down to the bow more.
loefflerchuck:
I'm going to give this build-a-long a A+. This is the best step by step I have ever seen for these bows. I'm not going to question someone's methods just because I do it another way. I will say, if you want a smoother sinew application you can use a comb to comb all the fibers straight before dipping it in sinew. If need be you can use the comb while laying it on the back too. One of the reasons I don't apply all the sinew at one time is I use 3 to 4+ ounces of dry processed sinew( 8 layers). When this much sinew dries it will draw up into canyons on the back. I try to do it in 3 applications over 3 weeks.
I saw someone question the deflex application. This will decrease the early draw of the bow but I have read an old accounts of this method being used on old plains bows. I can not remember the exact region. I would need to go back and find this info.
Nice work! This will help anyone in the future make one of these bows on the first try.
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