String Question

[steven.nance]

Would any of you guys advise against making a bow string from cordage made from plant fibers? I'd like to stick to natural materials and I've really only seen guys use sinew. Just checking my options.

[PrimitiveTim]

I wouldn't advise against it at all.  They're generally not as good as the stuff you buy but they work.  Have you looked into squirrel hide?  That's next on my list to try.  So long as you make good even cordage they should be alright.  Be sure to reinforce areas that get more wear and tear.  That would be nocks and where the arrow touches the string.  This will help with longevity. 

[Pat B]

Linen is a plant fiber as is hemp, milkweed and I think someone on PA is working on a yucca string. You can also use squirrel and groundhog rawhide. You can even leave the hair on like on some Eastern Woodland bows.   
 I've never made a natural fiber or rawhide string so you'll have to wait for someone else with the how to's.   B-50 is about as primitive as I get on strings. 

[Thesquirrelslinger]

Would any of you guys advise against making a bow string from cordage made from plant fibers? I'd like to stick to natural materials and I've really only seen guys use sinew. Just checking my options.

I have used jute successfully in a bowstring for a #70 bow. However, it was not durable(it broke at the nock, every time I strung the bow it rubbed on concrete)... but I think a properly made fiber bowstring is extremely durable.

Sinew is popular because it has 2 properties- high stretch and high strength. When you shoot a bow, the most stress occurs not at full draw, but when the limbs slam home and the string is suddenly straightened. That is when bowstrings most often break.
An elastic material like sinew absorbs much of the shock, stretching slightly, reducing stress on the string- same amount of force, spread out= less deceleration and less stress on the string
An inelastic plant fiber doesn't want to stretch at all, massively increasing the stress on the string- same amount of force, concentrated= more deceleration and more stress on the string.
Its like asking which is more powerful- a pound of gasoline or a pound of TNT- The gasoline releases vastly more energy, but the TNT delivers what little energy it has with enough speed to shatter rock(the burn is nearly instantaneous, instead of being spread out like gasoline)
Dacron B50(a popular string material) stretches a small amount under stress.

Plant fiber strings, IMO are best in wet conditions cause sinew stretches when moist.
Seal your string to prevent that.
According to multiple books I have read, self bows with dogbane, nettle, etc. strings were made and used up and down the west coast, when it would be hard to keep a backed bow dry.

I suggest linen or flax fiber, unbleached, because its very strong, durable, and available(for adults). Or unbleached linen string or thread. Linen strings were used on English warbows because linen was strong enough for the bows' #100+ draws.

It is also quite durable. Make sure you wax any plant fiber string well.

Don't expect a nettle, dogbane, or other fiber string to last as long as a well-made sinew or B50 string.

[Newindian]

Go for it there are plenty of plants to choose from, I think linen is the most common, next I'm gonna try thisle and rawhide

[CORIUS]

"I have used jute successfully in a bowstring for a #70 bow. However, it was not durable(it broke at the nock, every time I strung the bow it rubbed on concrete)... but I think a properly made fiber bowstring is extremely durable."

Doesn't sound like success to me.

[paulsemp]

I recently made a rawhide string that I used on a bow I made it to Marshall shoot,  no pictures but a few guys on this site were witness to it.  I used goat raw hide from a drum head.  I was very surprised how little it stretched it held up quite well. the string lasted about maybe 30 to 50 shots.  it broke right where I knocked my arrow. it must have been the repeated bending in one location. I was thinking on the next one maybe to either serve it with some sinew or reinforce the string at the nock location. the problem also maybe that I used goat. I would love to hear from someone that makes successful rawhide strings to hear how they do that. a primitive bow with a primitive string looks very cool

[Thesquirrelslinger]

"I have used jute successfully in a bowstring for a #70 bow. However, it was not durable(it broke at the nock, every time I strung the bow it rubbed on concrete)... but I think a properly made fiber bowstring is extremely durable."

Doesn't sound like success to me.

I abraded through the string on concrete. Worked fine after I stopped doing that(made a new and thinner string).
It broke right where it was rubbing. And it wasn't a sudden break, it just stretched out a LOT.

[BowSlayer]

I've often wondered about making a string from nettle fibers or maybe coconut fibers. Let us know how it goes.

[Thesquirrelslinger]

I've often wondered about making a string from nettle fibers or maybe coconut fibers. Let us know how it goes.

coconut is a bit weak, stiff, and brittle. Try nettle.

[adb]

I have a linen string on one of my yew bows.

[Woodbender]

Something viney maybe... Like poison ivy?!!

[BowSlayer]

Something viney maybe... Like poison ivy?!!

Hmmm. A yew bow with a poison ivy bow string a bow made from toxic materials, might try that one day