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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: perry f. on February 28, 2018, 02:18:00 PM
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Hey guys, I have been making an osage self bow. After the final sanding, I put it on the tillering tree to check the final weight. I had a splinter lift at a pin knot. I have decided that I am going to super glue it down and try backing the bow. The bow is in the low #40 range so I thought about using sinew to possibly gain in draw weight. Where is the best place to get sinew, and how much do I need? 64" bow, 1.5" wide. If possible, I'd like to bring it up to the higher #40 range. Thanks
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How far do you draw?
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27.5" but I tillered it to 28"
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I don't suggest adding sinew now, I would add rawhide and try for more weight on the next go round. Sinew can add draw weight, or not. Depending on how its applied you may end up tillering the weight right back off.
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Thanks Pearl. I kind of thought this already but figured I would go ahead and ask the question. Being pretty green I wasn't sure. Thanks again for confirming.
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A sinew wrap would also work. But, I have personal tastes in that regard. Band Aids are for hospitals, not bows.
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Osage and sinew don't mix well. None of the hornbow builders that I know in the States will use Osage for the core -- the hide and fish glues you use for sinew and horn just don't grab Osage, no matter what you do.
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Ken, I have to strongly disagree. Osage and sinew is an absolutely incredible combo with hide glue as a the bond.
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can't weigh in on this since I"ve never done an osage/sinew recurve but if you have ever seen a Jeff Durnell sinew backed recurve, you may change your mind :)
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Yupper on Jeff..
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The list goes on and on. Jay Massey comes to mind first off. He wrote books about it.
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Pearl and I disagree on wraps, I have done a bunch of them.
I like superglue soaked serving thread the best, it holds up well and is easy to put on. Wrap 1/2" past your splinter in both directions.
(https://i.imgur.com/bn6Cuiz.jpg)
Another wrap story; I made a bow to donate to a Children's Hospital charity drawing, my friend Tony bought a $1 chance and won the bow.
Now, Tony is not your average shooter he lives to shoot tournaments. He had never had a selfbow and quickly adjusted to it and began to compete in every tournament he could with it. He often shot in the recurve, longbow and selfbow class at every tournament he attended. That guy flings a lot of arrows.
He shot the selfbow for 3 or 4 years, well over 100K shots, then it popped a splinter. We were at a tournament, he heard it go "tink" but we couldn't find the break. We finally got a bunch of guys together to look at the bow as Tony drew it and one guy spotted it at the edge of the snake skin backing.
I put a immediately put a wrap on the bow like is pictured above and Tony finished the weekend shooting the bow.
Fast forward a few more years and another 100K arrows or so out of the bow; Tony is at the IBO World Championship competing in the selfbow class with his patched bow, he came in second. Had I not patched the bow and recommended he retire it he would have missed out on years of enjoyment from a wonderful bow.
Here is Tony getting his second place trophy, he is in the blue shirt.
(https://i.imgur.com/6BbyWTp.jpg)
I made Nolan's bow as well (the guy in the orange shirt), it popped a splinter after about 250K shots (years after the IBO), I wrapped it but it was too far gone, it quickly failed and became a wall hanger
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I'll never doubt the effectiveness when done right, Eric.
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Here is my first wrap, definitely done incorrectly with predictable results.
This is a Vincent Minor cane Dragon that started to crack just a little. I didn't carry my wrap far enough past the crack, I should have gone over the node as well. The bow didn't make it 5 shots. Done right I could have saved this bow.
(https://i.imgur.com/fWdY9RO.jpg)
Live and learn, I have never had a wrap on a repaired splinter fail since, every bow I wrapped that was actually broken across the back failed, some are too far gone to repair.
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I used to be a dedicated selfbow shooter in many of the bigger tournaments in Tn, Ms,and Al. Most of the selfbow shooters I competed against didn't make their bows and had some serious money tied up in them. I tried my best to keep the bows that I made shooting as well as a lot of bows that I didn't make.
If you shoot much in the selfbow class you will find that wraps and patches are very common.
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Sinew backed osage is a great combo like Pearlie said. He has one of my static recurve sinew backed bows with hide glue. It's all about how you prep the bow and sinew. I have an old Jay Massey sinew backed osage that I'd guess is over 30 years old.
I've done a few sinew wraps but I really don't like them but I can see how folks want to preserve a bow with lots of work in them.
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And that bow is TRUE treasure of mine, Pat.