Sinewed R/D?

[DC]

Does the RD shape suit using sinew? Since the deflex reduces strain and sinew thrives on strain are they counter productive? Deflexing makes the bow more stable so maybe you could put a ridiculous amount of reflex in and make it work.

[Marc St Louis]

Made this one out of Elm 12 years ago.  It's 60" long and pulls 60# @ 28", still have the bow.  It was quite fast but the Elm was poor quality and it chrysalled badly.  It kept practically all the reflex I put into it and if the Elm would have been of good quality it could most likely have been built considerably shorter for the 28" draw and/or have a much longer draw for its length

[wizardgoat]

Egyptian angular bows are sinewed RDs (with horn bellies)
You can still strain a shorter RD plenty to make a sinew back worth it.
Deflexing adds stability, but also some draw length and some smoothness to the draw.
It’s funny you post this, I’m sinew backing a short RD yew bow this weekend, it has recurves so I’m not sure if it can be classified as a true RD.