sinew backed bow help

[loefflerchuck]

Brad- yes those are pretty much accepted rules of backed and unbacked, But with many hardwoods stronger in tension if made right the longer self bow should outshoot the shorter sinew backed bow. If the wood can only take a certain amount of compression before the wood cells break down then the longer less strained bow will shoot longer and faster.

[Marc St Louis]

Marc and Pat, Do you think you could make a faster sinew backed elm bow than self elm bow? Good point about species. Around here we only have invasive Siberian elm and the young trees(round back) make a exceptional bow. Every stave I have used has taken reflex on drying and with a pyramid design kept that reflex through tillering and shooting. One of the fastest  self bow woods I have used. I just don't think i could take advantage of sinew to tweak that design more without overworking the wood and to the point of breaking or losing cast. I could be wrong but I have heard all elms are stronger in tension than compression.

There again there are variables.  A highly reflexed and recurved sinew backed Elm in dry weather will shoot as fast as anything out there.  A similar bow of high quality Elm maybe a couple inches longer heat-treated with a few inches of reflex will shoot just as fast and do it with more moisture in the air.  Take that sinew backed bow in wet weather and it won't do so good.  You are quite right that a high crown on Elm makes for a better bow.