Osage recurve

[ranger 3]

I making a recurve and just sanding it. I put sinew on the back to the tips. I thinking of putting skins on it. should I take the sinew off on the curved tip and put the skins on up to the curves?

[Pat B]

If it is a static recurve you don't need the sinew on the non-working portions of the tips and it only adds unnecessary physical weight. Also, the sinew can pull off the inside curves as it dries. I leave the last 6" of the tips free of sinew and skins because it isn't needed there and to prevent excess wear on the string. A simple wrap at the end should hold it fine. I usually do a sinew wrap over the end of the sinew and a silk thread wrap over the skin.
 You do, however want sinew through the handle area. I neglected to do this on the last two sinew backed bows I build and lost some of the zip I should have gotten plus both bows began to take set in the unsinewed handle area or at the fades.

[ranger 3]

Thanks Pat, but it just broke out about 6" out from the handle. I had about an inch to go. Back to another stave.

[Pat B]

How did it break? What wood are you using?

[ranger 3]

It was an Osage stave and broke when I was exercising it, and I don't know why it broke, it looked pretty goods.

[John Cooper]

Did you wait long enough for the moisture to get back into the limbs after bending the recurves?

[ranger 3]

Yes I waited, but the limb broke about 6" from the handle

[Pat B]

Do you have pics of the break? It is odd in my experience for osage to break like that unless there was a knot or grain runoff in that area.

[ranger 3]

Here is some pics.

[DVSHUNTER]

sorry for the loss.