Bamboo backing on sinew and Osage recurve?

[bows, booze and shoes]

Hello fellow bowyers, quick question for you:

For my next bow I wanted to make a Osage recurve with sinew backing.  Is it possible--or recommended to use a planed bamboo backing on top of the sinew?  I've never worked with bamboo before.  I've personally seen a hickory self-bow with bamboo backing, but I'm not sure if the bamboo can be heated/steamed into the appropriate recurve shape.  I'm also not sure if because of the added stress of the recurve--the bamboo/sinew will stay glued?

I've got several staves of Osage to work with, plenty of sinew and one piece of bamboo (3Rivers archery)--so I'm not completely dedicated to this course.  If this is a bad idea I'll stick with sinew and snakeskin for the recurve and just use the bamboo on top of an Osage longbow.

Just wanted to get some feedback.

Thanks

[PatM]

 It makes no sense at all. I suggest you read up a bit more on how bow materials work and how the various portions of a bow work. Back, belly, core etc.

  You can use bamboo and bend it to any shape or you can use sinew. You can even use sinew on top of bamboo so that the bamboo becomes more of a core but that is an advanced and basically unnecessary step.

[Stick Bender]

If your making a osage recurve & making it with enought length for your draw you shouldn't need any backing providing you are following one ring on the back and doesn't have any major defects, osage is a phenomenal wood in a lot of respects.

[loon]

make a thick bamboo bow, sinew backed :p
I think it can bend more than osage?
Guess what makes most sense is to make one bamboo backed osage bow and several sinew backed osage bows. I've been wondering about lever bows sinew backed only on the bending limbs, not the levers..

[mullet]

I'd follow Pat's advice and do some more research. You have to be very good at laying down sinew enough to then lay a strip of bamboo on top of it. And I'm not really sure why someone would waste sinew on Osage even if you didn't follow a growth ring.

[bows, booze and shoes]

Thanks to all for the helpful feedback.

As to why I like use sinew on Osage--I've found that when applied properly, it adds snap to the bow and protects the back, particularly when I'm added a reflex or recurve.  I'm still a beginner bowyer, only made two bows so far, (selfbow and a flatbow with sinew), so as much as I pay attention to growth rings, the sinew is added insurance.   

I think I will take everyone's advice and just focus on building a recurve, and use the bamboo in a separate bow on top of an osage stave.

Someday I would like to venture into composite horn bows--but that's a discussion for another day.

--Paul

[bubby]

Just to clarify things, if a biw is sinewed or has bamboo it isn't a selfbow it is a backed bow. A selfbow is just one piece of wood with sometimes a piece added to build up the handle

[mullet]

I'll use sinew to enhance the performance of osage but I won't waste it just for protection. I'll use something else for that.Do you use hide glue when you apply sinew?

[Jim Davis]

Thanks to all for the helpful feedback.

As to why I like use sinew on Osage--I've found that when applied properly, it adds snap to the bow and protects the back, particularly when I'm added a reflex or recurve....
--Paul

Most of the tension force in the back of a bow is handled by the outer 10% or so of the thickness of the limb. If you put bamboo or anything else on top of the sinew, the backing will be doing the work. All the sinew will do is provide an inferior surface to which the backing is affixed, or partly affixed. This is why PatM said it makes no sense.

Jim Davis

[bows, booze and shoes]

Bubby--"Just to clarify things, if a biw is sinewed or has bamboo it isn't a selfbow it is a backed bow. A selfbow is just one piece of wood with sometimes a piece added to build up the handle"

Bubby,

You are absolutely correct.  I misspoke.  The bow I hunt with is a osage selfbow.  Longbow by dimensions I believe, though it has some quirky features.  It's the first one I made that didn't break, and it's pretty to look at--so I'm using it for now.

[bows, booze and shoes]

I'll use sinew to enhance the performance of osage but I won't waste it just for protection. I'll use something else for that.Do you use hide glue when you apply sinew?

Mullet,

That's a good point.  I originally used sinew because I wanted to add speed to the limbs, and found later that it helped cover some of my imperfections with the drawknife.  I've read that rawhide works well as a backing?

Yes, I use hide glue with the sinew, and hide glue to fix the snakeskin to the sinew.

--Paul

[bows, booze and shoes]

Thanks to all for the helpful feedback.

As to why I like use sinew on Osage--I've found that when applied properly, it adds snap to the bow and protects the back, particularly when I'm added a reflex or recurve....
--Paul

Most of the tension force in the back of a bow is handled by the outer 10% or so of the thickness of the limb. If you put bamboo or anything else on top of the sinew, the backing will be doing the work. All the sinew will do is provide an inferior surface to which the backing is affixed, or partly affixed. This is why PatM said it makes no sense.

Jim Davis

Thanks Jim. I can see now how it would be a wasted effort.

--Paul

[loon]

could cover with birch bark for protection. sandwiching between sinew... wat