Splicing

[gstoneberg]

I took a short break from my trade bow to let the sawdust/glue dry in borer holes.  That gave me some time to splice a billet onto a bow blank I'm preparing.  I tried heat bending a spot with bad wind/weather cracking and not surprisingly the cracks went clear through out the back of the bow.  So, I cut that damaged limb off and prepared a billet to splice to it.  The beauty of splicing billets is that you get to adjust the limb tips with the layout of the splice.  So, I designed a bend into the handle to get the tips to line up with it.  I layed out the splice with a template (this is a Z-plice).  The bow is on the top, the billet on the bottom.



The cuts were made on the band saw.   I didn't do a good job on one cut holding the billet correctly so I had to do some cleanup sanding on the stationary belt sander.  Test fitting went well.





So I put the half bow and billet into a bucket of water to soften the splice area so I can clamp the pieces together and get a tighter fit.



Once I have the pair clamped in the vice later on today I'll get a picture of the bow the long way.

George

[gstoneberg]

It doesn't look as good as it will, the far limb needs to have some twist removed which should center the string up nicely.

George

[criveraville]

Make it look easy.. Too easy..

[gstoneberg]

Ha, there's a few really bad splices you haven't seen pictures of.  This one is gluing as I type.  Had a little extra glue so there's a borer hole there to the left with some glue and sawdust in it.  It's funny, the splice is tight as all get out when dry, had to beat them apart.  Add the glue  and it is a sticky wiggly mess.  Mary helped me and we were still a hand short a couple times. 

George

[criveraville]

Sounds like handling a big sheepshead on the jetty 

[gstoneberg]

LOL, probably right.  Can't say I've done that though.   I did catch and put a snapping turtle in a canoe with me once...though that was a different kind of excitement.

George

[Markus]

May I ask what kind of glue you are using?  Markus.

[gstoneberg]

That is Smooth-On EA-40.  It is leftover from my days building laminated bows with the F-word.  Once I've used it up I plan to change to Urac.  I'm not a good enough splice cutter to use something like Titebond.

George

[Will H]

Thanks for posting this man! Im about to try slpicing billets for the first time on some of those old fenceposts I got. Some of em are pretty twisted, definately gonna have to put them together much as you have with the offset splice. Pics really help me alot monkey see monkey do

[Pat B]

George, not to be critical because I have done very few splices but it doesn't seem that the grain direction is matched in both billets from your pics. On a "Z" splice the center cut line should follow the center grain lines of the billets.   Also this is one time the final handle outline should be close before you cut the splice in the billets. If not you end up removing most of the splice, reducing the glues surface area, thus weakening the splice.

[gstoneberg]

No problem Pat.  I've done a lot of splices this way and never had one fail, though this might be the most crooked I've ever had a billet.  Doesn't mean a failure won't happen or that it isn't better when the splices line up right down the center line.  Also, I always pin the splice with dowels, usually 2, and finally wrap the handle with thread or string before putting on a handle wrap. 

Having said all that, you're right that the best way to do splices is to lay out the centerline between the tip and the center, have it be right down the center and cut the 2 splices down that line.  If you do it that way it always works and it does have maximum glue strength in the splice.  However, most of the handle splices have quite a bit of the side angle glue joints removed by the time the handle is shaped no matter what.  A good glue is critical to this process.

We'll watch this one and see how it does.  I think it'll be OK, but I've been wrong before.   

George

[criveraville]

George anything that bites with teeth is not a good idea to put in a canone.. Especially when you are in the canoe

[gstoneberg]

Yea, that was not a good plan.  It was exciting though.  Turtles don't have teeth though, just really sharp jaws.  Tasty critters, but nasty to clean. 

George

[gstoneberg]

Got the splice cleaned up and reduced the billet to more or less match the other limb.  Here's what it looks like from the top (notice the filled borer hole on the left side of the splice).



and bottom.



I think it lines up pretty well.  That far limb (the newly added billet) has too much reflex and a little twist.  I think I can do both of those in one heating.



That's all the bow fun for today.

George

[Lee Slikkers]

Looking good George...keep em coming!