v-splice on statics - how long?

[stuckinthemud]

Afternoon All!

I have a sliver of hawthorn, 52" long that I had started off making as a bendy D-bow character thing - its not going to make a great bow, I'm messing with it just for fun, and to try new techniques - I'm planning to sinew it (never tried that before, either).  I have a crook of apple that will make a great pair of siyahs/statics so what sort of length should the splice be - is there a ratio for length to width of the v?  If I use 4" statics, does that make the length of the bow 60", and what sort of draw length could I hope for? Am only looking for 24" but 26" would be nice.

[PatM]

You can make them just a couple of inches long and bind them after. Anywhere from 2-4 inches is fine. Beyond  4 inches  you start  potentially having the tip of the v entering your  working limb area.

 A 60 inch bow will easily handle a 26 inch draw, particularly if the handle bends.

[stuckinthemud]

Thanks Pat.  I have started roughing down the siyahs and they are pretty much at 45 degrees and could go up to 7" in length.  Since they are going into a narrow (1" at the grip) and snakey stick, would I be best keeping them short? As only the tips and the handle lie on the string line I am worried that stability could be an issue.  Does sinew improve stability?