:
Tom the Dutch Elm disease got many or perhaps all of the old English Elm's here as well along with several of the native species as well.
And Elm isn't always found in the forests here in Oklahoma, I don't know about the eastern forests.
And I hadn't thought about using a file card for seperating the sinew, thanks for the tip.
I have a "clean" file card I only use for wood working that I will try the next time I seperate some sinew.
The natural sinew IMO is stronger and longer lasting in sewn leahter and rawhide items that are subjected to very wet and then dry conditions.
Interesting about the sap and heart wood making a self composite bow. The small Osage Orange bow I bought at a Gun & Knife show for $25.00 (
) is made from both heart and sap wood and I think that may be the reason for the string follow set it has/had when I got it. I have thought about putting sinew on the back of it which would pull it back straight again.
My grandfather made my 1st bow and taught me to shoot the old ndn way with a finger and thumb type pull. When I got my 45# lemonwood bow when I was 9 years old that was the only way I knew how to shoot. That bow being longer than what I was used to was much easier to draw.
I have over the years learned to shoot the other way, but it still feels awkward to me and I do much better with the instinctive style I learned as a young boy.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Dalai Lama ~~~~~~~
