Backing osage orange and hickory advice.

[Mafort]

So i have another account on her by the name of kidbow but i cant login to it for some reason so i had to make another account on here. i dont know why it wouldnt let me login but ive tried it a few times and it just wouldnt let me in. anyways im going to be backing a hickory stave and an Osage orange stave here soon. i was wondering since they are going to be backed with deer sinew and then covered in rawhide do they need to follow a single growth ring still? Can the rings be violated a little bit? The reason i ask is because Bringing the rings down on the hickory stave is kinda difficult for me. I have trouble seeing the delineation between the growth rings. also, i have read that Osage needs to be degreased before a backing like sinew can be applied to it. is there any truth to it or can i apply the backing with out doing so? also how long should i wait between layers of sinew. i wanted to apply 3 layers and then a layer of rawhide but i dont want to overpower the belly of the bow. Should i only apply one or two layers and then rawhide?  im aiming for something close to 60 lbs of draw on the Osage orange and something close to 50 with the hickory stave. ill be using Knox gelatin as a "Hide" glue, i dont have access to anything else thatll do the job correctly. any information is greatly appreciated and im glad to see so many new people here.

[leonwood]

Hi there!
With the hickory you can get away with some violation, with the osage I would chase a ring even though you are going to sinew it. That is just personal though, better safe than sorry.
Regardless of the wood typ I would always degrease before sinewing or any other type of backing. Again, how hard is it to put a rag with acetone over the bow and wait a few minutes?
Can't answer your question about the time between sinew layers but I have read some people wait a week and some people do it all at once.
As far as I know sinew and rawhide will never overpower the belly of osage or hickory.
And why would you apply rawhide over the sinew??? Looks like adding extra mass to me? If you want to protect the sinew from moisture a skakeskin might be a better option?