how much sinew?

[walkabout]

thinking about doing a sinewed bow down the road, and was wondering exactly how much would be needed to do a bow. im going to go shorter to take advantage of the sinews strength, not sure the wood yet though. i see 3rivers has sinew sold by the hank(back sinew) is this enough to do a bow? even still is leg sinew any better?

[Pat B]

I think it will take 4 to 5 leg sinews for each layer you put on the bow. I'm not sure how many back strap sinews it will take but probably a bunch per layer. I've made 3 sinew backed bows and never had to separate sinews. It has all been shredder when I got it in trades so that's why I don't know how many it takes.

[walkabout]

thanks for the reply. i figured it may take about that many given the relative length of the bundles. i still have to figure out what im going to make the bow out of so i have awhile to research.

[scrub-buster]

At Cloverdale this year, a guy asked Gary Davis this same question.  Gary very politely replied "it would take a lot less sinew for me to back a bow than it would for you (as a beginner).  If this is your first time, you might want to have plenty on hand.

[Pat B]

With deer season not far away you should be able to collect more than you need from hunting friends or from the deer processors in your area.

[rainman]

Deer processor is the way to go. I got 75 pieces 2 years ago.  He let me go thru the trash.  Pick Buck legs if you can, they are much longer.