Build along hickory Buffalo horn belly/ sinew backed bow (pic heavy)

[superdav95]

Hello. All.  My most recent build is a hickory mollegabet style bow with flipped tips.  Trying something different with this one. At least for me anyway.  Keeping this one as natural as I can.  I’m backing with sinew from blackstrap of deer approx 70grams (35 grams per limb).  The Buffalo horn strips are approx 1/8” thick.  All sinew backing and horn is glued on with sturgeon bladder glue.  I’ve noticed after some testing with this stuff that it’s strong glue!  No worries of this not holding.  Glued several pieces of test scrap wood (maple) 3 sections were kiln dried and 3 were naturally dried approx 8 months.  All pieces were sanded with 30 grit drum sander.  On each piece except one the break happened at the base of the vice at the unglued portion of the wood.  I think it was my fault in glue up on that one.  Each peice also grooved with hacksaw blade in no matching grooves.  Not exactly scientifically done but I was convinced that this glue was good enough for me.  The gel time was nice too for when I did the layers of sinew.  I was able to have the time to work and smooth out the sinew with the added gel time.  This bow bellied with Buffalo horn strips that were grooved along with belly wood of bow as well with non matching grooves.  Mating surfaces were sized 7 times after heating up bow and horn slightly.  Made a jig for glue up of horn.  Had good squeeze out all way around.  The sinew was layed in 3 bundles equal weighted and separated for each limb.  Each bundle had been washed with dawn and soaked overnight and washed.  The gel time was nice.  Didn’t feel I was rushed.  Was able to get it quite smooth.  I think I will cover with thin raw hide or maybe try some hog gut backing or ordered.   Just waiting for it all to dry now.  Bow dimensions is 64” tip to tip. Reflexed braced at 6.5” while sinew applied. 
I’ll post some pics here in this build along.  Enjoy and thanks for looking. 

[superdav95]

More pics…

[superdav95]

More pics…   You can see the grooves on the close up of the horn glue up near the tip. 

[superdav95]

More pics.  I wrapped the base of the lever tips where sinew ends to prevent lift up.

[superdav95]

Couple Short vids…

This is just after laying sinew

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bYStfTWUUcEovunAA

This is just after horn glue up showing jig

https://photos.app.goo.gl/VftJ73pZQc6Adq1U9

[WhistlingBadger]

Interesting!  I'm about to get started on my first molle style bow, juniper/sinew.  Hope it turns out as pretty as yours! 

If I may ask, why the backing and belly?  Are you doing this as sort of a test model?  Hickory wouldn't seem to need belly or back reinforcement most of the time.

[superdav95]

Thanks man. Best of luck on yours too.  I just wanted to try something different I guess with the horn on belly.  I’ve done some sinew backed and they turned out well but love the look and sexy look of the horn.  It does probably add some compression I think.  I did some testing on other bows and it didn’t add anything significant performance but didn’t hurt it either.  It’s probably a balance trade off with added mass I figure.  I kept it thin nonetheless and I like the look it gives.  The real performance will come from the bow itself and added sinew I suspect. 

Thanks for looking. 

Cheers

[BowEd]

Your plan looks good.Figured you were up to something with that second pair of horns.Been down this road times before.You'll like it.I always like seeing the qualities horn and sinew can give to a bow.There's a reason and story behind all my builds posted in the past.
Bow will last you a life time for sure.
I usually did mine sinewing in stages after applying the horn.Reflexing a bit more after every sinewing.Usually a week apart.
It'll work out fine this way too.
Sinew job looks great.Glad you like your glue.
Side tillering tweaking might be an option on yours.Don't know how wide your limbs are.That'll help reduce mass and improve performance too.
You'll get your template here for future dimensions on more of the same.A bow like that can easily be pulled to 30".
Whatever way you decorate it up I'm sure will look great.

[Stixnstones]

Thats just bada$$,  cant wait to see it bending

[superdav95]

Thanks Ed.  Very kind.  Actually I ordered more horn from a wholesale seller in bulk.  Save some money.  I had planned on using your second set you sent me but one of then snapped on me!  I was flexing it too much I guess and it broke on an inclusion spot unseen until it broke.  Blessing in disguise I guess as I would not have know inclusion was there and used it on a bow and had a failure.  I’ll make good use of the pieces anyway as tip overlays and side overlays like my last bamboo horn bow.  I liked the way that looked in the end.  As for sinew I was torn.  I was gonna do like you done and then decided to try this method.  It went very clean and slick.  Probably the nicest sinew work I’ve done but it’s all looks till it breaks or fails.  Proof is in the puddin.  The premeasured combed strips soaked in fish glue worked like a dream if you haven’t tried it I would recommend it.  I sized the bow several times and heat up bow wood slightly to get good soak into wood fibers with thin glue.  That alone took few days to do.  I think I’ll be good.  It looks supper solid to me.  I had tillered the bow prior to horn glue up and then after to about 24”.  Didn’t want to go too much more till I got sinew on there.  Side tiller is an option but hoping I may be pretty close.  I was extremely careful maybe overly so with layering the sinew and positioning the layers symmetric to each limb and weight.  I didn’t sinew the tips as they are static and to save mass there.  I’ve read some of your earlier posts and love the look of your with the horn too.  Not sure how much gain I’ll get in performance with the use of horn but hoping for a bit.  If anything it looks sweet. 

Thanks again

Cheers

[superdav95]

Thats just bada$$,  cant wait to see it bending

Thanks man.  Me too!

[Will B]

That is a very cool build!  I look forward to the finished bow and seeing how it shoots. Best of luck with it and thanks for posting your build.

[BowEd]

I always like the dry stripped moose or elk leg sinew.Turns pliable instantly into moisture.Takes on hide glue very well and I have no problem about it gelling too fast the way I do it.Melds well after applying.After curing that stuff can look like a solid matrix of sinew.
After making enough of them I usually just took the core bow to brace/aligned well and that's it.No need to stress the limbs.Take measurements of core.Have horn ready to thickness and tapered to apply the horn on a reflex.Take measurements.Then apply the sinew reflexing farther to certain thickness to get overall thickness that I want.That gets me within a very close range of my draw weight.
Very little horn removal to get to my draw weight.
Thicker the horn the less set it'll take.It'll be more time to tame down and stabilize though as horn is more elastic than wood.
A good ratio is 25% horn/25% sinew/and 50% wood or close to those parameters.Those ratios will give you less trouble.

[SDBurntStick]

Looks like a great start!  I'll be following along. 

[superdav95]

I always like the dry stripped moose or elk leg sinew.Turns pliable instantly into moisture.Takes on hide glue very well and I have no problem about it gelling too fast the way I do it.Melds well after applying.After curing that stuff can look like a solid matrix of sinew.
After making enough of them I usually just took the core bow to brace/aligned well and that's it.No need to stress the limbs.Take measurements of core.Have horn ready to thickness and tapered to apply the horn on a reflex.Take measurements.Then apply the sinew reflexing farther to certain thickness to get overall thickness that I want.That gets me within a very close range of my draw weight.
Very little horn removal to get to my draw weight.
Thicker the horn the less set it'll take.It'll be more time to tame down and stabilize though as horn is more elastic than wood.
A good ratio is 25% horn/25% sinew/and 50% wood or close to those parameters.Those ratios will give you less trouble.

Ed. Thanks for the feedback and input.  Very helpful.  Doesn’t look like I’m too far off the dimensions you stated as far as ratios.  It’ll be a good shooter think.  I did the same as you mention and glued up horn in the reflexed bow state also.  My thinking there was to get the most out of the horn without stressing it too much when applying the sinew and more reflex.   My first horn and sinew wood bow so taking my time with it.  My measurements on this one are 64” ttt.  limbs are 1 3/4” at the widest tapered down to 1 1/2” just before the levers start. The levers are thin and light. They are just under 1/2” thick and 11” long.  I’m gonna take some thickness measurements as well when sinew drys up.  It looks like I’m close to the right ratio though.

 Btw.  How long do you let it sit to dry after sinew???

Cheers Dave