I am doing my first bow out of maple for my son. I was thinking of backing with sinew, will tite bond III work to glue this on or do you absolutely have to use hide glue.
Titebond 3 is better than hide glue for sinew cause its waterproof. I will be using it to sinew my next bow but I asked this question a while ago and got that answer. Hope it helped.
Great thank you.
You might want to consider another wood besides maple for sinewing. Haven't had much luck with that combo myself. ART B
I'm not sure I would say it is "better" but it sure is easier. I agree with Art B. Sinew is a lot of work and a maple kids bow might not be the best candidate.
What would be better to back the bow with other than sinew?
I did think about backing it with some osage or elm. What is your opinion about this option.
Is this bow to be from a board or stave? How old is your son? ART B
Hickory will work with any combo.
Why are you backing it?
My son is 8 years old. I decided to back the bow just for a little extra security incase i were to cut in the back of the bow.
This is a board stave, the grain was just about perfect and is about 8% moisture content.
Just my opinion, but backing a wood bow is never a bad idea. Linen would be a very good choice for backing. But anything from old blue jeans to silk ties will work. One maple I finished a couple years ago I used drywall tape w/Tite-bond glue. Turned out real nice. So just about anything that you can think of that will glue down will do. Good luck. ART B
Thanks to all for the good info. I will keep you informed as to how it comes out.