Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Mo_coon-catcher on June 29, 2013, 02:12:52 pm
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This morning I pulled out a piece of black locust to work on. I saw that it had some drying cracks in it but figured that they might come out by the time I got down a half inch to some good growth rings. But once I got it worked down to shape i found that the crack goes all the way through. I also found a bug hole that was hidden and ended up in the side of the limb. The crack does not run out of the bow but it is about 3/8" from the edge and I can close is a by putting a bit of pressure on it. My question is, do you think it will hold up if I fill the crack with TB3 and clamp it shut? The crack starts at one end of where the handle is and goes for about a foot going across the handle and into the other limb a little bit. The piece of wood was too short to make it stiff handled so I am going to make it a bendy handle. I will try to get some pics of it up tomorrow. Once I have it glued up and getting a bend to it I plan to wrap it with sinew or silk thread to hopefully keep it from popping open when I get it to full draw. So you know what I aim to make the bow. It is 56" long and 1.5" wide till the last third of the limbs and for now it tapers to 5/8" at the nocks. I plan to thin these when I get to the point of shooting. I am going to try for a 60lbs at 27" draw. Thanks for any advice.
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Can you take a pic?
I have read that you should fill it with superglue it, then wrap with silk or sinew.
Never had this issue though.
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I looked at the crack again when I was taking pictures of it and it was worse than I'd thought. It is about 20" long in the middle of the bow and on the back the crack goes right to the edge of the bow and on the belly it is about 1/4" from the side. I'm not too confident in it holding up, but I'll give it a shot and see if I can make it work and see what black locust will hold up too. I usually like to heat treat locust but I'm not sure I can after I glue it up and expect it to hold. Though I did hear, I think on here, that TB3 is stronger after you heat it up and let it cool again. So I might give it a shot and see how well I can make it work. In the pic the red lines show where the crack extends to, which is about half the bow.
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I just finished a BL 65 in self bow that had some hair cracks and it shoots fine. that one however I would prob scrap. BL grows all over here in NW Pa.
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Yea it sucks man I would throw it in the burn pile
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Black locust grows all over here as well so I can easily get more than I could ever use. But this one is the straightest piece that I currently have and has growth almost 1/4" thick with very thin early growth rings. But it would probably be better off scrapping it than risk it splitting apart in my hand. I have quite a bit more good dried pieces of locust to work so it's not a big deal. Thanks for the advice.
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I say you've come this far, fill the gaps with superglue or some kind of epoxy and see what happens >:D i'm working on a privit d bow with all kinds of checks in the belly. Its has about 50 arrows and holding up I sure bl can do the same.