91
Bows / Re: Preparing horse sinew for drying
« Last post by Pappy on February 27, 2026, 08:54:54 am »That's looking very good.
Pappy
Pappy
Recent Posts
92
Primitive Skills / Re: Life is good
« Last post by Pappy on February 27, 2026, 08:53:33 am »Headed to the cabin for a couple of days, weather is supposed to be good so got some outside projects to get done. Got Surgery this Tuesday so want to get as much done as I can before that, it's not supposed to be a bad recovery but you never know. 
Got new drink machine and cooler coming this morning and want to work on my Dog grave yard just the other side of the big pavilion, kid of messed it up with the cleaning. Lots of good dogs are laid to rest there. Hope yall have a good one. Life is Good. 
Pappy
Got new drink machine and cooler coming this morning and want to work on my Dog grave yard just the other side of the big pavilion, kid of messed it up with the cleaning. Lots of good dogs are laid to rest there. Hope yall have a good one. Life is Good. Pappy
93
Bows / Re: Preparing horse sinew for drying
« Last post by jameswoodmot on February 27, 2026, 08:25:48 am »JW, when simmering, is it ok if the sinew pieces shrivel? I put the bits I had in my slow cooker and set it to low, forgot about it and the scraps had shrivelled up from the heat. Hadn’t been like it for long and I could put my fingers in the water. I wasn’t able to measure the temperature. I assumed this would mean the glue was damaged but you suggest simmering which is hotter than this was.
Roughly pounded a tendon today. I set it in the kiln to dry and i didn’t run it for long enough, there was a little bit of mould on them when I got back but got it going for another few days and they seem fine.
Coarser than deer leg sinew but not as coarse as the deer back strap I would say.
Just one tendon and getting 15” strands, others were longer tendons.
The suspensory ligament looks quite different but breaks into slightly coarser fibres. I’ll save these and use just these ligaments on a bow and see what they’re like. Oilier than the tendons
The ligament is an energy store in the living horse and acts like a spring as it’s loaded so hopefully those properties will be transferred to the bow.
Roughly pounded a tendon today. I set it in the kiln to dry and i didn’t run it for long enough, there was a little bit of mould on them when I got back but got it going for another few days and they seem fine.
Coarser than deer leg sinew but not as coarse as the deer back strap I would say.
Just one tendon and getting 15” strands, others were longer tendons.
The suspensory ligament looks quite different but breaks into slightly coarser fibres. I’ll save these and use just these ligaments on a bow and see what they’re like. Oilier than the tendons
The ligament is an energy store in the living horse and acts like a spring as it’s loaded so hopefully those properties will be transferred to the bow.
94
Bows / Re: Hold my hand when I sinew my first bow
« Last post by jameswoodmot on February 27, 2026, 05:41:50 am »Thanks again!
My fear of moisture is actually more about the wood than the sinew. It’s 85-95% humidity here and 50 degrees outside. Don’t know what the humidity is inside. It’s so hard to get white woods down to reasonably moisture content in the winter here. The only thing I can do is weight for them to stop loosing weight and hope that’s enough. Got a moisture meter on the way.
I didn’t think to weigh the bow before sinewing, I had the weight written down on the bow as I was drying it before bracing but forgot to reweigh it after.
The belly had gone from flat, the concave, to now pulling slightly convex in places now which is interesting to watch. The back isn’t going to become flat but but to me that’s more of an indication of the shrinkage than the reflex.
I’ve got one thick patch mid limb where I had too many overlaps, I think it’s going to be ok but I may file it down slightly, though as there are overlaps I don’t want to weaken that point
My fear of moisture is actually more about the wood than the sinew. It’s 85-95% humidity here and 50 degrees outside. Don’t know what the humidity is inside. It’s so hard to get white woods down to reasonably moisture content in the winter here. The only thing I can do is weight for them to stop loosing weight and hope that’s enough. Got a moisture meter on the way.
I didn’t think to weigh the bow before sinewing, I had the weight written down on the bow as I was drying it before bracing but forgot to reweigh it after.
The belly had gone from flat, the concave, to now pulling slightly convex in places now which is interesting to watch. The back isn’t going to become flat but but to me that’s more of an indication of the shrinkage than the reflex.
I’ve got one thick patch mid limb where I had too many overlaps, I think it’s going to be ok but I may file it down slightly, though as there are overlaps I don’t want to weaken that point
96
Bows / Re: Ash board bow... pic heavy!
« Last post by medicinewheel on February 27, 2026, 03:46:51 am »Thank you all for the nice replies!
Well, basically I though bowmaking would be like riding a bicycle and one wouldn't forget, but I expected it to be more wonky. Thus the ash board to start over again!
@superdav95: all wrappings are thin linen thread, dyed with Fiebing's dark brown leatherdye.
Well, basically I though bowmaking would be like riding a bicycle and one wouldn't forget, but I expected it to be more wonky. Thus the ash board to start over again!
@superdav95: all wrappings are thin linen thread, dyed with Fiebing's dark brown leatherdye.
98
Bows / Re: Loo – Maple – Black Cherry – Osage, 39# @ 28”
« Last post by Tuomo on February 27, 2026, 03:03:28 am »Yes, one internode is a “bamboo tube” between the nodes. In this bow, the backing is one solid strip (two internodes).
Springforelle also sells those “2 internodes,” which are longer bamboo culms with a node in the middle. Unfortunately, the current “2 internodes” are relatively short (maximum about 66 inches), so if you want a long loo-backing strip, you have to order “single internode” pieces and splice the strips together.
When Springforelle started selling loo bamboo, I was one of the first buyers and placed a special order for very long “2 internodes.” The longest loo culm I have is just under two meters long and has only one node in the middle!
Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s very high quality and intended for bamboo fly rods. It’s a one-man company and possibly the only place where you can get it easily.
Please note that when you click "Bamboo" → "Loo single internode", you must first select a country (shipping is included), then choose the length. The last selectable option is "Loo", where you can choose between "2 internodes", "8 internodes", and "15 internodes". These options indicate how many pieces of single internodes you want to order. The minimum quantity is "2 internodes", which means two pieces.
From one internode, you can get four strips, which is enough backing for two bows. So for 115 EUR, you get backing for four bows, which is still reasonable.
Springforelle also sells those “2 internodes,” which are longer bamboo culms with a node in the middle. Unfortunately, the current “2 internodes” are relatively short (maximum about 66 inches), so if you want a long loo-backing strip, you have to order “single internode” pieces and splice the strips together.
When Springforelle started selling loo bamboo, I was one of the first buyers and placed a special order for very long “2 internodes.” The longest loo culm I have is just under two meters long and has only one node in the middle!
Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s very high quality and intended for bamboo fly rods. It’s a one-man company and possibly the only place where you can get it easily.
Please note that when you click "Bamboo" → "Loo single internode", you must first select a country (shipping is included), then choose the length. The last selectable option is "Loo", where you can choose between "2 internodes", "8 internodes", and "15 internodes". These options indicate how many pieces of single internodes you want to order. The minimum quantity is "2 internodes", which means two pieces.
From one internode, you can get four strips, which is enough backing for two bows. So for 115 EUR, you get backing for four bows, which is still reasonable.
99
Bows / Re: 48" osage shorty bendy handle recurve build
« Last post by Badger on February 27, 2026, 02:35:30 am » I really like that design. Looking back I really regret not going with more bend in the handle bows. It really does reduce the set .
100
Around the Campfire / Re: Going out on a limb
« Last post by sleek on February 27, 2026, 01:52:28 am »Well aint that something. I did it.
I can move on now.....I always have enjoyed the hunt for materials as much as anything and in fact before i even got started on my first bow i thought about the resources needed and determined i had everything to do so. For me Osage has been hard to source but i get lucky sometimes. Good thing hickory and locust have kept me busy over the years.
The one clump of osage i know of and have permission to cut i didnt need yet so just was letting it grow till i had the oppertunity. As things would go I need to get started on that this winter. Looking over things i decided to take some of the branches first, remove the bark and sap wood a few at a time, as my time is limited these days. The photo above is one of those. Below is what i was able to split from it. aweful reflexed but not going to pass on the oppertunity to work on them. great rings imo
Holy cow! Man, Id be VERY excited to work those super reflexed ones. Id splice two of them into a deflex reflex recurve bow. How wide are they?