#1 sinew wood combo...

[Fox]

just wrecked my ERC stave I was going to sinew back.... boy im on a Role 

so now im not sure what to use my sinew for, I might be able to get some more erc but am not really sure if thats the best wood to use....
the choices I have are..... hickory, elm, locust, walnut, erc, birch, and beach,

[Allyn T]

How did you wreck it?

[bradsmith2010]

hickory elm or locust , depending on what is the best stave,,

[Fox]

okay brad... maybe ill go hickory... thats my best stave. ally I stupidly tried to split off the belly of the stave and being that its weak as heck cedar it just ran off the wrong direction leaving a 50" piece. I know I could still use it as a 50" stave but thats too short for what I want to do, and I only have enough sinew for 1 bow.

[Fox]

so what is your thoughts on the sinew erc combo though? I could probably get more erc.... but im thinking it may not be reliable....

[bradsmith2010]

I dont have experience with erc, Im sure someone gonna chime in, that does,,

[Zugul]

bradsmith2010: locust? Isn't it too weak in compression? (Just asking, it's not my intenction to hijack the discussion)

[bownarra]

bradsmith2010: locust? Isn't it too weak in compression? (Just asking, it's not my intenction to hijack the discussion)

No it works really well with sinew.

[Tom Dulaney]

ERC Is better than all the woods mentioned here.


I can get you a wide, straight grained,  knotless juniper stave if you're willing to wait a little while and can pay shipping from central USA. It will probably be 35-45 inches long. I have abundant source old growth Junipers at my disposal, and it' really easy to harvest. Not sure how much shipping is gonna cost.

[gutpile]

sinew and cedar are like peas and carrots brother IMO.. tension of cedar is not that great but compression is very impressive.. that's when sinew shines best on woods low in tension.. Ive built an all sapwood cedar bow sinewed that has a lil heartwood on handle only. and she is a screamer.. ultra light in hand.. I got another stave of cedar Im going to recurve and sinew later.. maybe this summer.. really don't think any other wood is as compatible to sinew than easterner red cedar.. well let's say I haven't built one yet.. I have a sinew black locust , couple of osage ( really didn't need the sinew IMO) and tried hickory.. well lesson learned on hickory and sinew down south are like peas and baked beans.. just do not go well together... I literally killed my hickory because of the sinew.. it wouldn't dry fast enough I didn't have the patience nor knowledge of how to treat hickory in a high humidity area .. could of hot boxed it I guess but lesson learned.. I'll never sinew a hickory bow again... haha... when I sinew a bow now..  I long string it about 6 inches short on draw length about 10 lbs off desired draw weight then flip the tips if not going to recurve.. I add I run my sinew to base of curves because I make only static recurves on a self bow, ..I size the back with hide glue and let it get tacky. I soak my sinew in hide glue and wring it out before applying to the back then I apply the sinew ( i am a big fan of using hide glue on sinew .. its once again like peas and carrots.. (hide glue sets slowly and allows the sinew to perform its best by shrinking slowly and drying slowly... its well worth the effort to get the best bag for your hard work on a sinew job) I then hang a 25 lb weight from handle and suspend the tips on two chairs..usually two courses staggered like bricks with a fill in course to make a smooth back.. I set it up in my basement and leave for 3 to four months of dry time.. it will hold all the reflex from the 25 lb weight.. however I loss all but about 1 inch in final tillering ..but that bow is a shooter very nice.. just typing about it has me wanting to get that other stave under way... gut

[Pat B]

Of the woods you mentioned I go with locust, elm then maybe hickory. If you live in a dry environment I'd put hickory first but if you have to deal with humidity, even for part of the year hickory would be down the line.
 Years back I built a replica of Jay Massey's Medicine Bow, sinew backed hickory with a rawhide covering. When I built it it pulled 56#@26". By mid summer, in our high summertime humidity it was pulling 45#@26". I sent it out to Little John(Kenneth) in Colorado for him to use as a horse bow and in a month it was up to 65#.
 Hickory, sinew/hide glue and rawhide are all very hygroscopic, meaning they readily take on and release moisture from the atmosphere.

[Fox]

Tom thanks generous offer, but I have a few short ERC staves already.....

Gut, I think you’ve convinced me to go cedar... my last two attempts with cedar I haven’t made it to the sinew part  the first try I tried to recurve it, steamed it for an hour, and then it broke when I recurved it..... gut what dimension is that bow your talking of ?


Pat, yeah that was my worry with hickory. I live in va and in summer it’s usually 80%

[gutpile]

first off I boil in my recurves.. just get water boiling good before you set timer.. 15 minutes per 1/4 of thickness and bend it fast out of water and put a strip of sheet metal on belly side to prevent splinters and  you should not have a problem.. my cedar bow is 58" 4 inch handle 1 1/2 fades.. going off memory .. I believe it is 1 3/4 wide out of fade to about 1 1/4 mid to 1/2 tips.. can measure tonight but I think thats what I did.. I flipped the tips on her.. have pics but I can not post here .. well dang it posted

[Fox]

Thanks for the dimensions.... thats nice lookin.... the sapwood on my stave is kinda messed up, is heartwood okay to use ?

Oh I should mention the log was sitting in a basement for somewhere around 100 years kept dry

[JW_Halverson]

I have a couple very well cured out hickory staves and I'd be willing to part with one, if that interests you. All I need is an address, nothing in return but your promise to post pics as you go.