Is sinew worth the effort?

[okie64]

Did my first sinew job on an osage bow this morning and it got me to thinking is this really gonna be worth the time and effort that Ive put into it. Ive had the sinew processed for a couple of years and I finally had a hankerin to give it a try. The osage stave was a bit short which gave me a good reason to try it out. Not sure that I will ever use sinew again as I guess I might be a little too lazy for it. So whats everyones thoughts? Is it worth the effort or not?

[MWirwicki]

Yes.

[MWirwicki]

If you're doing a typical longbow say, over 64 inches long then maybe not.  The benefit gained from sinew is cancelled out due to the extra mass it adds.  However,

If you're building a shorter bow (my niche) you are able to get much longer draw length than typical of the selfbow.  Other benefits sure, but this is the biggest, in my mind.

Yes also, for the experience. 

[blackhawk]

Yes and no..depends..and personal preference

I only see it fit for Asiatic horn bows,or a historic reproduction bow,or a bow that will be pulled more than half of its total working limb length. Other than that its not worth it IMHO,because I can make an unbacked bow pull half its total working limb length and have great results yet. Sinew takes much more time for only maybe a few fps more,or not if made poorly. Just not worth it in most normal cases IMO.

[Pat B]

Like Matt and Chris said it depends on where and how you use it. Definately worth it for short bows so the wood can be drawn farther and to allow the sinew/glue to achieve its potential. The Sinew/glue mixture is physically heavier than wood so you have to get the potential from the sinew to be worth it and that doesn't happen with longer bows.
  Gary Davis gave an osage stave at the Classic 2 years ago that was short and marked 35# for a kids bow. I reflexed the tips and added 3 courses of backstrap sinew and let it cure in reflex. The stave was about 1 1/4" at the widest when I got it from Gary. The bow turned out to be 56#@26"(tillered out to 28") and is 53"t/t. In this case the sinew gets worked pretty well at 26" where I draw it to and better at 28".
My sinew backed bows usually take from 2 to 4 months to complete but most of that time is in the curing process.
  Sinew backed bows are a lot of trouble to make but in the right circumstance they are worth the effort. If you live in a humid environment a sinew bow is pretty whimpy but in dry climates they shine. As far as Native bows are concerned the Pacific NW is the only humid area where sinew backed bows were common if I'm not mistaken. They were pretty common on the Plains but not in the eastern half of the US.

[sonny]

well worth the effort as far as I'm concerned....
but I happen to enjoy processing sinew (though it's been a while since I've done so.)
 

[PEARL DRUMS]

Depends on what your effort is worth as well. Its not that hard or difficult to do.

[ionicmuffin]

I would say that if your arnt going to have wet weather then it could very well be worth it. If you plan on using the bow when its raining then you may want to reconsider, or back it with a snakeskin to make it waterproofed? something like that.

[JonW]

IMO if your bow is over 52 inches in length it's not needed. I use it to extend draw length and add weight at the same time.

[Eric Garza]

My opinion is closest to JonW's. I used to make a lot of short bows and so did a lot of sinew backing. Now, aesthetically, I prefer making and using longer bows (over 60 inches) so there's no meaningful benefit to sinew backing. I haven't backed a bow in a couple years, although I do still gather sinew from a local game processor and trade it for things.

[okie64]

The stave that I put it on is 56" long with 7" of non working handle and mild recurves heated in. So that only leaves me with about 24" or so of working limb and I plan to draw it out to about 27" or so. I might try some back sinew next time, Ive heard its easier to use. Ive never really had an interest in backing a bow with sinew, I guess I mainly just wanted to do it for the experience and to be able to say Ive done it.

[ionicmuffin]

The author of TBB said that sinew backing is well worth it if you arnt in humid weather simply because it will up the draw and increase the speed. Its biggest weakness is water  so unlike all these osage self bows you can throw in the lake while you take a swim.

[steve b.]

You don't have to sinew the bow full length.  You could sinew the middle 50" of a 70 " bow and get great benefit of its elasticity without the added weight to the tips.  Sometimes a stave is susceptable to set in areas for whatever reason and sinew will fix that.
Personally, the least amount of sinew the better as it can take on moisture and affect the bow.  So for me it only gets the thinnest possible, single layer.

[osage outlaw]

I think its worth it if used on the right bow.  There's nothing sweeter than a short sinew backed bend in the handle bow with flipped tips and a snake skin backing.  I like to sinew back one bow every winter and then finish it up in late spring or summer.


What kind of glue did you use with your sinew?  To get the full benefit you should use hide/sinew glue. 

[okie64]

I think its worth it if used on the right bow.  There's nothing sweeter than a short sinew backed bend in the handle bow with flipped tips and a snake skin backing.  I like to sinew back one bow every winter and then finish it up in late spring or summer.


What kind of glue did you use with your sinew?  To get the full benefit you should use hide/sinew glue. 

I didnt use hide glue. I used tb3 on this one. Another bowyer told me that tb3 would work just fine and even better than hide glue because it would be less susceptible to moisture. I may try hide glue next time just to see the difference in workability.