Want VM design opinions, please

[steve b.]

I have this 42" x 2" flat VM stave that I want to do something with.   It was 66" and I roughed the handle (1 3/8") before finding a problem in one outer limb.  So I cut the stave down to this. 
I will tiller for a bendy handle for sure and probably will sinew, heat treat, etc.  But I'm debating between flipping the tips or gluing some tips on.

Do you think that I could cut a slit, perpendicular to the back/belly, into the tip ends, maybe two inches or so, and butt a hardwood tip (recurved) on the ends of the stave with a slice that slides into the slit and gets glued and pinned from the sides.....basically extending the length of the stave?
Would that kind of a connection be strong enough to bend the bow without pulling off the tip?

[steve b.]

Like this--side and top view

[aaron]

well i have never seen tips done like that- you could try just to see, but i bet if that worked, we'd have seen it before.
42 is really short- how about a kids bow?

[aaron]

see this thread for a 42 incher that pulls 50 at 26 by huisme:

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,42995.0/topicseen.html

but in order to make it he had to make a deal that involved a fiddle made of gold. (80's reference)

[PatM]

Recurved tips have been spliced in with a v splice for thousands of years. Why would you want to deviate from a proven method?

[huisme]

see this thread for a 42 incher that pulls 50 at 26 by huisme:

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,42995.0/topicseen.html

but in order to make it he had to make a deal that involved a fiddle made of gold. (80's reference)

I actually turned that deal down and sold my left kidney to a gypsy who cast a spell on the wood 

I think with a bendy handle, nice wide limbs, and decent wood like vine maple you can get a decent weight bow if you're really careful about tiller. Careful about letting people pull it though, little pieces of wood don't take well to being overdrawn 

[steve b.]

yea, aaron, it might end up as a kid's bow.  I'm gonna give the tips a try though.  Thanks all.

[Gordon]

Vine maple is good bow wood, but 42" doesn't leave you with many options; something with a really short draw.

[PatM]

Trust me. Splice in the long levers. You can easily make that stave into a 62-65 incher.

[vinemaplebows]

I disagree, this is a very feasable idea "if" they are glued and pinned. I would look for a very light wood for levers.....maybe spruce? The only issue I see with this idea is if you have enough wood through the thickness of the stave (back to belly) otherwise nothing ventured , nothing gained.....good luck.

VMB

[steve b.]

Thanks vmb, I'm gonna give it a try.

[PatM]

You are almost certainly going to learn a harsh lesson in the effect of a cross pin in a wood joint that is undergoing a bending force.
 Guys that put a dowel across a handle splice report a higher failure rather than a joint that is supported by glue alone for this very reason.

[vinemaplebows]

You are almost certainly going to learn a harsh lesson in the effect of a cross pin in a wood joint that is undergoing a bending force.
 Guys that put a dowel across a handle splice report a higher failure rather than a joint that is supported by glue alone for this very reason.

Well, if that's the case glasses, and a tiller tree will come in handy...

[PatM]

Why risk it when a v- splice with a strong wrapping is practically fool proof?

[Bryce]

The fish tail splice on Inuit bows have copper rivets. Steve, go for it man! I would like to see how this turns out. How long are those levers gonna be?