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91
Bows / Re: Tillering advice: This thing is kinkier than...
« Last post by bjrogg on January 19, 2026, 04:46:08 pm »
Yes moisture is definitely sinews kryptonite . It can really soak it up and once you cover it with a waterproof seal, the only way it can dry is very slowly.

I don’t like bending one without sinew for a couple weeks after applying snake skins.

Bjrogg
92
Bows / Re: Tillering advice: This thing is kinkier than...
« Last post by superdav95 on January 19, 2026, 03:34:56 pm »
Quote from: JW_Halverson on January 19, 2026, 11:34:39 am
So many people have poo-poo'd me over the years when I tell them to go slow waiting to get the last of this added moisture back out of the finished bow. Some of them should have known better because they arent new to making bows.

I was an acolyte of the "Sinew Everything Cult" when I was new to making bows. I'd get the sinew dried for a week or two and then go to finish tillering. A few months later the tiller would be all out of whack and I'd have to re-tiller all over again, resulting in a lower than desired draw weight. Someone in here told me to wait longer, so I waited about 6 weeks after sinewing. Not much of a better result, I still needed to retiller yet again about 5-6 months later. Eventually my thick skull wore a hole from running into the same brick wall over and over again and I started leaving a sinewed bow to cure for at least 6 months. Whenever possible, I lay the bow out in the sun on warm days to speed the process, sometimes storing it in vehicle parked in the sun to mimic a heat box. I cannot imagine how much longer a proper curing out would take living in a more humid climate!

so glad you said this!   Ive noticed this as well.  I use the tried and true method of monitoring weight loss over an extended time indoors in an air conditioned environment. measuring mass loss is a good method and safe.  once i get to the point where the bow stops loosing and fluctuates by gaining in the very slightest and lossing again i know im very close.    this is how I eventually realized that this is a very long process and cannot be rushed safely.  sure Ive put bows into a hot box/warm box for a few days which helps but it still takes longer to get deeper moisture out of a finished vapor barriered bow.  I think i would also agree with 6 months as a minimum is a safe rule of thumb on sinewed bows.  you may see faster times in really dry climates.  I am monitoring the weight on a bow now that i recently finished up and it is still loosing mass after reintroducing moisture to the sinew for finished covering.  I know that if I were to string it up now i risk seeing what appears to be an uneven tiller and wanting to change or correct it.   
93
Bows / Re: Question about Selfbow Dimensions
« Last post by willie on January 19, 2026, 01:17:07 pm »
Quote from: Ryan Jacob on January 19, 2026, 03:52:05 am
Felt like trying to make a bow again. Last attempt blew up on me...........

If you are on your second attempt at making a working bow, there is nothing wrong at all with trying a design that is a bit on the long side or otherwise a less stresses design.

What designs are you looking at for high crown staves? share some particulars about bow length and draw length
94
Around the Campfire / Re: Life on the Farm
« Last post by bjrogg on January 19, 2026, 12:25:10 pm »
Thanks Pappy. I know Elon says no one will have to work in another twenty years.  Can’t think of anything more boring.  Yes I like to keep busy. My hands need to be doing something to keep my mind healthy.

I can’t sit in the house all day. If I do you know I’m not feeling good and very sick. I think you know the feeling.

Bjrogg
95
Flintknapping / Re: A little fun with mushrooms
« Last post by bjrogg on January 19, 2026, 12:11:11 pm »
Thanks Glis Glis. Everyone is different. I started out with a piece of cherry firewood that my now passed wood working uncle had saved. My cousin gave it to me.

I split it into kindling sized pieces. The splits follow the grain and make each one different and give them character.

I used an angle grinder with a floppy sanding disk to give them the crude shape and then use my hand tools to finish them.

A little char from my propane torch and then sanding with Emory cloth for the color.

Everything is natural. Wood, pitch glue and sinew.

Bjrogg
96
Shooting and Hunting / Re: First deer with my Osage bow
« Last post by JW_Halverson on January 19, 2026, 11:37:57 am »
Quote from: Woody roberts on January 16, 2026, 12:27:36 pm
Thanks everyone. It’s still season here in Missouri but I have all the venison I need for the year. Looking forward to next year.
Woody

This just makes me heartsick. I couldn't draw a tag this year! Correction: I could have drawn an archery tag, but I haven't shot enough arrows to ethically hunt deer with a bow. The only good stuff I have left in my freezer is a couple small chubs of pronghorn summer sausage I have hidden from back in 2024.
97
Bows / Re: Tillering advice: This thing is kinkier than...
« Last post by JW_Halverson on January 19, 2026, 11:34:39 am »
So many people have poo-poo'd me over the years when I tell them to go slow waiting to get the last of this added moisture back out of the finished bow. Some of them should have known better because they arent new to making bows.

I was an acolyte of the "Sinew Everything Cult" when I was new to making bows. I'd get the sinew dried for a week or two and then go to finish tillering. A few months later the tiller would be all out of whack and I'd have to re-tiller all over again, resulting in a lower than desired draw weight. Someone in here told me to wait longer, so I waited about 6 weeks after sinewing. Not much of a better result, I still needed to retiller yet again about 5-6 months later. Eventually my thick skull wore a hole from running into the same brick wall over and over again and I started leaving a sinewed bow to cure for at least 6 months. Whenever possible, I lay the bow out in the sun on warm days to speed the process, sometimes storing it in vehicle parked in the sun to mimic a heat box. I cannot imagine how much longer a proper curing out would take living in a more humid climate!
98
Bows / Re: Holy Vine Maple
« Last post by bjrogg on January 19, 2026, 11:21:12 am »
I agree. I think I was looking at bug hole on your bench maybe and not the knot in question.

I’d say it’s worth a try.

Good luck.

Bjrogg
99
Bows / Re: Holy Vine Maple
« Last post by Pappy on January 19, 2026, 10:15:00 am »
That looks like just a knot hole to me, knot holes grow around the hole so no ring violation , un like a worm hole. I would just clean out all the dead stuff and maybe soak it in some thin super glue, be careful when you clean it out to try an not violate the rings [rings are usually thin around the hole] and it will probably be fine. I always leave some extra wood around the hole to make up for what is gone in the middle.  ;)Good luck.
 Pappy
100
Around the Campfire / Re: Life on the Farm
« Last post by Pappy on January 19, 2026, 10:04:30 am »
Looks like you stay busy in the winter also BJ. :) Nice little knives.  :)
 Pappy
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