Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Jesse on February 11, 2008, 08:53:57 pm
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Well I have been wanting to try a sinew backed bow for a while and I got this great hard maple stave from Dana for the Christmas trade. Check it out in the Christmas trade post in announcements.
My question is. Is sinew backing hard maple a good idea? It doesnt need it it is a really nice stave. Would I gain any performance? What would be a good design for hard maple? I was thinking of a pyramid style.
Jesse
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save your sinew for a stave that needs it. there's a lot of work involved in shredding and applying sinew.
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A good hard maple stave shouldn't really need any backing, and it might actually slow it down and make it more suseptible to moisture variation. The pyramid design should work great, or a flatbow about 1 3/4" wide fades to midlimb.
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What weight and draw length Jesse? that can also determine the design to a degree.
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I think I will take your advice and save the sinew. Ive just been dying to try it :) I am shooting for 55# @ 27-28"
Jesse
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Ive just been dying to try it
I bet that will change after a couple of hours pounding and shredding :P
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Ive got it all pounded shredded and ready. I thought that part was fun :D
Jesse
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maple has a nice hard backing when seasoned right.
thing i found out with maple is...a little wider is best as it is very prone to chrysalying on the belly if your tiller isnt spot on.
jamie
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:)
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I agree, it is fun to pound and shred Jesse. Some people like crosswords etc, but I would rather prep sinew for later use. To each's own. I would save the sinew for a stave that would benefit. Good luck
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I always sinew back the best stave I can use but that's because when I use sinew it's to make a high performance bow. That means short with lots of reflex.
If that's what you want to do then go for it. With sinew I wouldn't make the bow no more than 62" long though and keep the width to around 1 1/2". Without I would go for 67" long and 1 3/4" wide
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Jesse, I have been told that ipe and sinew is a great match. I haven't done it yet since I have the same perspective as Gordon in this regard..Or I will let the kid do it..
Rich-
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For me, a bow without sinew is like a salad without dressing. :P
And ipe and sinew is a great combination....but ipe is to sinew what milk is to rice crispies (the sinew will snap-crackle-pop a lot in the beginning).
Me hungry. ;D
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I'm with Marc, sinew it, but like he said don't go too long. Maple is an excellent wood, I don't see how a few layers of sinew can do anything except improve the speed of the bow.
VB
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Now I am torn what to do. I have a little time to think about it. The stave is not quite ready and I have a Boo backed ipe to get done first. I am leaning towards using sinew. I am not worried about the extra work but the comment about maple chrysalying easy if the tiller is not spot on has me wondering if sinew would make that problem worse. Thanks for all your advice.
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A friend and I sinew backed a hard-maple flatbow one damp winter. Come spring, no matter how hard we tried, we could not bring it into tiller. Finally the bow broke. An autopsy revealled the sinew had rotted the surface of the maple in a couple of places , so if you do sinew back it, make sure it can dry out reasonably quickly.
Sinew backing will also make the bow less liable to chrysal, but if you are intent investing the time necessary to sinew back a bow, I would agree with the others and get a decent stave
James
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Jesse I think any wood not tillered properly will fret, I've made a few from the same maple I sent you and its good wood.
The back is sealed with shellac so you will have to remove that before you sinew it. Its your call, but if you want to sinew it
go for it ;D But like was said earlier keep it short. And remember white wood don't take the heat as well as osage. So if your
going to flip the tips be careful.
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I've never had hard maple fret on me. Its one of my favorite white woods, a close second to elm.
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Since I'm workin with the same tree wood is fretting little waves in the wood? or is it the same as chrystals? Sometimers.PK
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fretting chryasals(sp) are one and the same they are compression fractures,
They form when the limb is overstressed or lust part of the limb is overstressed.
Is that maple fretting PK
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I was just curious if someone could post a pic of this for me,i am still a newbie and not exactly sure what this looks like
thank you