takedown sleeve or splice??

[Titan_Bow]

 I have a set of yew billets, that I have worked down and got almost ready to go.  I am at a crossroads here, however...  Of all the bows I've made so far, they have all been made from a singlew stave. I have never had to deal with billets.  I have read alot about splicing,  have TBB, and all the various internet build-alongs saved as favorites.  I dont have as much info on takedown sleeves though.
  A few questions I have... 1.) Are there any design issues that one method may have over another??  I assume with a splice you dont want any bending through the handle, but what about a sleeve. Can you have a little more bend with a sleeve?  2.)  After reading much about splicing, I would guess its not as daunting a task as I first thought, barring I take my time and am precise as I can be.  However, the sleeve seems a little bit more involved.  To the folks that have built both, which one is an easier task for someone who has done niether? 

Thanks,
Titan_Bow

[Ryano]

one is no harder than the other in my opinion. The question you need to ask yourself is do you want a take down bow or a one piece bow and do you want the takedown bad enough for the added expense of the sleeves.You must have a ridged handle either way. No bending! I have also made my own take down sleeves out of fiberglass mesh and epoxy. There was a artical about how to do than in pa several years ago.

[Justin Snyder]

You can save about 4-5" of length by using the takedown sleves.  But like Ryan said, do you want a one piece of a takedown. Justin

[Stickhead]

I'm a fan of sleeves, myself.  But then, I've never made a splice.  I really like being able to take it apart for traveling.  The sleeves aren't very difficult, really.  My skills and tools are very limited, and even I've managed to make a couple that turned out pretty nice.  You just have to take it slow and careful.  Jay St. Charles has a nice step-by-step in TBB Vol II, I think. 

[adb]

Hey, Titan
Be careful with splices... they're not as easy as it may seem. The cuts must be precise, and close fitting for good strength. I would also advise a wood backing of hickory, bamboo, or maple also. A handle riser overlay doesn't hurt either. Go with a Z-splice for good gluing surface contact. The nice thing about splices is, you can use matching sister billets. TB1 has an excellent chapter on splices by John Strunk.

[juniper junkie]

you have got some good advise there. I have done both as well. with a splice you can induce some reflex into your stave when you glue. I usually drill through the splice accross the handle section and glue a dowel for added stability in the splice. I lilke the st. Charles sleeve well, they fit nicely and are available in a couple of styles, depending on what style you are making. whichever you do, take your time and get things lined up right. be sure you use the epoxy that is compatable with the metal if you use sleeves, I think it is EA13, but double check. de-grease the sleeve several times to make sure you have all the oil out of it. there is good info in the "billets to bow" book by st. Charles as well.