Microtensile tests performed on ovine bone at the scale of a single lamella using a dedicated methodology: focus ion beam fabricated specimens + self-aligning gripper. The mechanical response was brittle with a strength increase of 130% compared to the macroscale and revealed a distinct tension-compression asymmetry. Contrary to compression, a change in failure mode with respect to specimen orientation was observed: axial - interfacial shearing; transverse - tensile debonding. Lamellar bone exhibits high tolerance to load misorientation with respect to the underlying fibril orientation: this is ideal for increasing toughness while retaining strength.