Tip overlay size

[DC]

I've been thinking that the smaller the overlay the better because of less mass. It occurred to me that a real small overlay would have less gluing area. Do you think there is any danger of small tips popping off?

[Del the cat]

Most of the force is holding it on anyway, especially if the tip is angled back a bit before the overlay is glued on.
I did have one come unglued once on a very wet shoot, some wag suggested I nail it on to stop it happening again! So as a joke I did, with a hand made silver nail (and glue of course).
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/equipment-malfunctions.html
Del

[wizardgoat]

As Del said, there's so much force holding it on, and unless it was a horrible glue joint they rarely pop off. Just make sure that where your carving your string groove on the overlay, that there's a good amount of bow under it.

[Pat B]

You don't generally need tip overlays unless you are using ERC, yew and maybe a few others but for most bow woods, no. Most of us use them for aesthetic reasons.

[osage outlaw]

Most people grind the limb tip off at an angle when gluing on the overlay.  You are replacing wood mass with overlay material mass.  I don't see it making much of a difference.  In fact, I think you can make smaller tips with overlays than you could without them.  That is just my opinion, not saying its a fact.

[DC]

You're right, I didn't think this through. Thanks

[JW_Halverson]

Long narrow tip overlays of contrasting material are eyecatching stuff of dreams.  But you gotta remember the longer they get the more they are likely to be asked to bend ever so slightly.  So, in effect, having more gluing surface is BAD.  Very counterintuitive, and something I did not learn until I tried a three layer bone/horn/bone overlay that was almost 4 inches long. 

Lemme just say it was dead sexy right up until I strung the bow and blew them both off.  There went a good 7 hours of meticulous grinding, shaping, polishing, and unknown gallons of elbow grease!

Play around in the happy medium.  An extra three of four grams of weight on the tips will not change a bow from a good shooter to a two legged half blind dog.

[lebhuntfish]

Good information guy's, keep it coming. I'm fixing to attempt my first set of overlays  myself. Patrick

[Del the cat]

Long narrow tip overlays of contrasting material are eyecatching stuff of dreams.  But you gotta remember the longer they get the more they are likely to be asked to bend ever so slightly.  So, in effect, having more gluing surface is BAD.  Very counterintuitive, and something I did not learn until I tried a three layer bone/horn/bone overlay that was almost 4 inches long. 

Lemme just say it was dead sexy right up until I strung the bow and blew them both off.  There went a good 7 hours of meticulous grinding, shaping, polishing, and unknown gallons of elbow grease!

Play around in the happy medium.  An extra three of four grams of weight on the tips will not change a bow from a good shooter to a two legged half blind dog.

Damn near made me snort my breakfast cereal over the keyboard...
Del