processing leg sinew

[wundabred]

hi, all:

what is the best method of processing leg sinew...

fastest?

save the most material?

easiest on the fingers?

I find the stuff is very tough and although some separates easily, alot of it simply does not want to come apart and is intensely interwoven.   What do you guys do?

thanks

[HoBow]

Beat it with a hammer on a 2X4. I've yet to damage any this way and it will separate quite easily.

[woodstick]

beat it apart to loosing it up then pull it apart by hand, your fingers will hurt when you are done but worth it.

[wundabred]

thanks guys

i tore up about 15 tendons worth today (still have a pile to go), and i agree my fingers are sore and it was worth it

[gstoneberg]

I had a friend once ask me if there was anything he could help me do with my bow making while he was at his job.  He operated a dredge in a gravel pit and was bored out of his mind sitting there all day with nothing to do.  I gave him a bag of dried tendons.  He pounded and separated sinew for about a week and gave me a box of nicely packaged separated sinew thread and the remainder of my bag of tendons back.  He told me he'd had enough fun and the boredom was looking better.  Can't say as I blame him.  Thankfully, I still have some of his sinew left so I haven't had to pound any recently.  I wish I had more friends like Gary.

George

[wundabred]

yeeah, i read a thread by tim baker recently where he says, "ive got a bunch of leg tendons around here somewhere, and if i ever meet a  bowmaker i don't like, he can have them!"