I'm no expert, but I think everything is on track. I, for one, have no desire to learn to shoot a twenty inch draw and think we should keep in mind that the eventual owner probably will want to draw closer to 28", too. The native bows are an inspiration, but need modification to suit most of us modern folk. After working on the stave, I think a thin sinew back is optional, but would be a safety factor since we don't know who the eventual owner will be. Though I've got plans for putting in a bid when it finally gets auctioned off. Do we have a plan for the organization/ charity this bow will benefit?
The latest addition of TBB has a chapter on Ishi's archery tackle. Several bows are illustrated and the tips tend to be narrowed down to ~ 1 inch or less, so I think Gordon's well within the ball park. The recurves are longer than what I had in mind, but seem proportional to the the longer length of the bow.
Almost all of the bows are illustrated to have a sinew wrapping around the shoulders of the pin nock. Other tribes' bows have a similar wrapping of rawhide. All done to prevent the shoulders from being split by the string ( I guess.)
There were a couple of people that said they would work on arrows and a bow sock etc. How are those parts of the project going? Is ther anybody interested in making a sinew string? And, how about a quiver?
Ron
Ron