Handle splice question

[Lost Arra]

Does a handle with a z-splice have to remain rigid or can you still put a little (very little) bend in the handle area?
This is yew and it's 71" long.

I usually only build bows with unspliced staves.

Thanks

[uwe]

Think it depends on the bows strength and the length of the splices. Think it should help if you would glue in 2 dowels from the handle`s side.

[Badger]

I have often wondered the same thing. I know a glued handle will pop off if the piece of top is tring to flex but that is a different kind of force, yew long bows made from billets are made all the time and I imagine they flex a bit. Try going to the war bow section with this same post and see what they say over there. Steve

[tom sawyer]

I made a short bendy-handle design in hop hornbeam with a z-splice.  Worked just fine, I did leave it a little stiff but it still worked through the handle.  I would imagine you could easily do a splice in an ELB since the bend is not hard (being so long).

I do recall talking with a yew bowyer who specializes in war bows, he said for stuff over 100lb he prefers staves to billets.

[Hillbilly]

The only time I tried doweling a splice, it split through the dowel holes after about fifty shots. I think I would have been ok without the dowels. I would prefer to leave spliced handles stiff myself.

[Lost Arra]

Lennie: 100# is not in this bow's future.

[tom sawyer]

You're in good company, I don't think my bow blanks are even 100lb.

In any case, the orientation of the splice makes it not in the plane of maximal shear stress.  There's nothing about the splice failing that would relieve the stress any more than the wood itself breaking.

Hilbilly, I think I read tht a dowel is only handy for preventing a splice joint from slipping apart when its glued up.  As long as your splice length is decent (4" seems standard) I don't think you need a dowel.  I don't see where a dowel would strengthen a jointin any way.  The joint wouldn't fail by coming apart along the glue line, it'd seem to me to be more likely for the tension side to pull apart since you don't have continuous fibers at the joint.

[Hillbilly]

That's what I think, too, Lennie. Seems like boring the holes for the dowels weakened mine.

The joint wouldn't fail by coming apart along the glue line

You haven't seen my shoddy glue lines. 

[Badger]

No way I would drill a hole in a bow and put a dowel, I think it would weaken it. Steve

[brian melton]

     Agree with Badger....Athough Glenn st, charles recomends it....choice I guess.

[Badger]

Glenn ST Charles certainly has a proven track record with yew billtets, I would want to see his method before doing it. Steve