Sinew

[DC]

I got some sinew. The main tendon(on the right) has a sheath sort of(the one on the left). Is the sheath good sinew? It looks like it but I thought I read somewhere that it wasn't. Just checking.

[Pat B]

Dry it out and see if it shreds into small fibers. I think it is more like a "skin" than individual fibers.

[PatM]

It is mostly to contain the lubrication for the tendons to glide in without friction. It's more like rubber and contains little in the way of fibers.

[Chadwick]

Read Jay Massey - discard sheath. It is tendon, but doesn't separate into power fibers well. I've discarded a ton of sheaths from moose tendons... If I'm wrong, I'm super wrong at this point. 

[Marc St Louis]

Actually that sheath can also be used, I've used it many times.  The only thing I have found is that the fibers are more interlocked than the main tendon and is a bugger to seperate. 

[Onebowonder]

Read Jay Massey - discard sheath. It is tendon, but doesn't separate into power fibers well. I've discarded a ton of sheaths from moose tendons... If I'm wrong, I'm super wrong at this point. 

Even if it wouldn't be great for sinew fibers itself, ---why not grind it up for hide glue makings?  I ask out of curiosity as I personally have little to very limited experience with all things sinew.

OneBow

[osage outlaw]

I dry those and get what usable fibers I can from it.  The rest I use for glue.

[DC]

Is the same true for the tendon that goes around the back of the heel(knee)? Actually it might be part of the same tendon. That's a lot of work. The first was the toughest, trying to figure out what went where. It got better. The fourth wasn't to bad. About three hours for four legs. That includes washing and hanging them up to dry.

[osage outlaw]

Check out this post I made a while back about collecting long lengths of sinew.  After I cut it out I wash it and separate it into two pieces to dry like in your picture. 

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,49489.0.html

[PatM]

All those major tendons in high motion structures will have those extensive sheaths.
 It should just take minutes to strip out tendons. Practice will speed that up.

[Comancheria]

My thanks for your reposting of that "Cut Along", Clint.  Didn't do my homework to find that when I was asking about cutting out tendons recently.  Today, I cut out my recent haul of 20 or so.  Problem is my processor has started cutting off the legs below the hock--so I am limited to lengths of 6 to 9 inches.  Probably have enough now to back a couple or even three bows, once I pound it out, but I suspect twisting up a string from such short pieces would be a strain.

I agree with you as to how well the curved utility knife probably is, but tonight I used a regular old box cutter (I know it isn't as safe) to unzip the leg, replacing the blade a couple of times, and a honkin' big Benchmade hunter to slice through the tendon.

Russ

[JW_Halverson]

ANY scrap from processing sinew should be dried and saved, or left wet and frozen.  Eventually, you get a pound or so of it together and you got a batch of hide glue to make!  Waste not, want not!