In Old School RuneScape (OSRS), crafting and fletching are essential skills for players who wish to create powerful weapons, armor, and gear. One component that plays a minor but necessary role in specific crafting tasks is sinew. While it might not be the most famous item in the game, sinew is useful for producing crossbow strings, which are required when making crossbows. Learning how to make sinew in OSRS can be helpful for Ironmen, skillers, or players looking to be more self-sufficient. It also helps players understand how different systems in the game connect through cooking, crafting, and fletching.
What Is Sinew in OSRS?
Sinew is an item created by cooking raw beef or bear meat. It is used in the crafting of crossbow strings, which in turn are used to finish crossbows. Players will often need sinew if they are training fletching or crafting on an Ironman account, especially if they aim to produce their own ranged weapons rather than buying them or relying on others.
Why Use Sinew?
- Required to make crossbow strings
- Useful for Ironmen accounts with no access to shops
- Helps in training Crafting and Fletching skills
- Connects several different skills like Cooking, Crafting, and Fletching
Gathering the Raw Materials
Obtaining Raw Beef or Bear Meat
The first step in making sinew in OSRS is acquiring raw beef or bear meat. Both of these items are common drops from low-level animals and can be found in various locations throughout the game world.
Where to Get Raw Beef
- Kill cows, typically found near Lumbridge, Falador, or Ardougne
- Cows drop raw beef upon death
- No combat level requirement, making it accessible to new players
Where to Get Bear Meat
- Kill bears, such as black bears or grizzly bears
- Common bear locations include the woods near Varrock or Taverley Dungeon
- Bear meat is less common than raw beef but still easy to get
Alternative Methods of Acquisition
If you’re not an Ironman, you can buy raw beef or bear meat from the Grand Exchange. However, Ironmen will need to gather meat themselves. The best strategy is to farm cows since they are easy to kill and often found near banks for faster inventory cycling.
How to Make Sinew
Using a Range or Fire
Once you have raw beef or bear meat, you can turn it into sinew by cooking it. However, unlike traditional meat cooking, sinew is made by deliberately burning the meat. This means the goal isn’t to cook the meat successfully it’s to overcook it.
Steps to Make Sinew
- Find a cooking range or build a fire
- Use the raw beef or bear meat on the heat source
- Choose the option to make sinew (you’ll see a different result than regular cooking)
- Wait for the sinew to appear in your inventory
This process is the same as cooking meat, but instead of producing cooked beef or bear meat, the result is sinew. It’s important to note that the Cooking level does not prevent sinew production anyone can make it regardless of cooking level.
Best Places to Cook Sinew
You can make sinew anywhere there is a fire or cooking range. Some efficient locations include:
- Lumbridge Castle Kitchen: Close to cows and has a range
- Rimmington House (if you have access): Offers an easily accessible fire source
- Al Kharid Range: Near bank and a good fire spot
Using Sinew to Make Crossbow Strings
Crafting Crossbow Strings
Once you have sinew, you can use it to make crossbow strings by spinning it on a spinning wheel. This step is essential for completing the crossbow-making process. Without the string, a crossbow is useless and cannot be equipped.
Steps to Spin Sinew
- Take your sinew to a spinning wheel
- Use the sinew on the wheel
- Wait for the crafting animation to finish
- Each sinew becomes one crossbow string
Crossbow strings are then used in conjunction with crossbow limbs and stocks to complete the final weapon.
Locations of Spinning Wheels
Several places around Gielinor have spinning wheels, but some are more convenient than others. Popular options include:
- Lumbridge Castle: Second floor
- Seers’ Village: Near the flax field and bank
- Falador: East of the bank, inside a building
- Etceteria (Fremennik Isles): Good for Miscellania activities
Training Tips and Efficiency
Training Crafting with Sinew
Although spinning sinew into crossbow strings does not yield high crafting XP, it can still contribute toward leveling Crafting when combined with other methods. For Ironmen, it’s a necessary part of making their own gear and progressing without trading.
Batch Processing
To make the process more efficient:
- Farm several inventories of raw beef from cows
- Cook all the meat in a single location with a nearby range
- Use all the sinew on a spinning wheel in one go
This batch method saves time and makes training smoother, especially for accounts with limited resources.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Cooking Instead of Burning
If your Cooking level is too high, there’s a chance you’ll cook the meat successfully instead of burning it into sinew. To avoid this, use lower-tier heat sources or intentionally cook while distracted to increase the chance of burning. Alternatively, use meat types that you’re less skilled at cooking.
Forgetting to Bank Efficiently
Processing sinew involves multiple steps: gathering, cooking, spinning. Always bank after every major stage to avoid wasting inventory space or dropping valuable items. Choose locations with nearby banks like Lumbridge or Seers’ Village for convenience.
Not Planning Inventory Space
When gathering meat, cooking it, and then spinning sinew, plan your inventory layout to minimize clicks and optimize movement. Having a few energy-restoring items also helps, especially if you’re running between cows, ranges, and spinning wheels.
Making sinew in OSRS might seem like a minor task, but it connects essential aspects of the game such as Cooking, Crafting, and Fletching. Whether you’re an Ironman looking to build your own crossbows from scratch or simply exploring the full range of items in the game, sinew production is a great way to expand your self-sufficiency. From killing cows and bears to burning meat and spinning strings, the process offers a layered and immersive experience. Mastering how to make sinew in OSRS not only contributes to gear creation but deepens your understanding of how different game systems interact. With a little preparation and the right strategy, you can turn even the simplest materials into valuable tools for your adventures across Gielinor.