Limb Splicing

[bow101]

How can I get a good splice without a band-saw.  Is there any other splice to use besides a "Z" splice. How about a long scarf joint with overlays or Jute rap to beef up the handle area..?    At any rate if its to difficult this time round I may just attach the limbs to a riser.  There is a write up in one of the PA issues about a Military guy that did that.  Afghan style bow.

 Thanks.

[PatM]

A V splice is adequate and a good handsaw is fine for cutting.

[Dakota Kid]

I do all my splicing cuts with a coping saw. I then take adhesive backed sandpaper and stick it to one of the limbs splices. I work the two pieces together until the sanding allows for a tight fit. I haven't had any issues yet.

[Knoll]

... ... I then take adhesive backed sandpaper and stick it to one of the limbs splices. I work the two pieces together until the sanding allows for a tight fit.

Sounds good.  Thanks!

[Limbit]

Splices for horn bows were always done by hand with a sort of wide bladed hand saw...at least that is what I've seen. There is an older video on youtube for horn bow making (it is done by two amazing American bowers, but I've forgotten their names) that is very comprehensive and he does all the splicing with a hand saw....and does a dang good job of it too. You can always steam the cut for around 20 minutes and then tightly bind it up with a c-clamp or the such for a few days. This will make them fit perfectly if you botched the cut a bit. I often just use a V-splice myself and there is no reason you couldn't do this by hand. Just PRACTICE ON JUNK WOOD FIRST! Also, if you choose to steam clamp, be sure to check the centre line of the bow before setting it out to dry! A lot of times a small mix up during cutting will lead to the bow being misaligned. Luckily, if you are steaming it, you can bend it straight again and then once dried, it will be good to go. You could also use a guide like a piece of hardwood clamped to the limb to align your cuts if you aren't confident in your skills with a saw. I'm no master bower or carpenter and I certainly can't find (in Taiwan where I live) or afford the fancy tools a lot of bowers have, so I've been learning all the tricks for correcting my mistakes ;-).  Lastly, USE THE RIGHT GLUE! If you don't know, find out.

[Del the cat]

Hand tools will be better!
It's all about patience and eye for detail.
A bandsaw will only cut accurate splices if the wood is squared up first or securely jigged. If you are bandsawing splices into natural billets rather than planked timber you will probably still need to fiddle and fettle the fit. Dry fitting the splice and holding it up to the light will show up any gaps.
Mikekeswick has a trick of dry fitting, steaming and clamping to ensures a good fit if there are gaps that need closing. I've used it on occasion.
Del

[WillS]

Get yourself a Japanese pull saw.  They're superb for splices.  Fine teeth that cut on the pull rather than the push makes it very easy to cut an almost perfect line nice and slowly.

I tend to stick both ends of my splices in a big pan of boiling water for a good hour, then push them together and clamp, and leave for a full day. 

[duke3192]

The bowyers that Limbit mentioned, are from Building the Composite Horn Bow, and the hand saw he is using is a Japanese pull saw, not cheap but not like the cost of a good band saw. Lots of good info there, but it isn't complete. Don't believe you can do a horn bow tutorial in short viedos.

[bow101]

I have a Duzuki saw it needs a new blade.    The V-splice may be an idea.  Thanks for all the tips. 

[Dakota Kid]

I got a jap flush cut pull saw for 12 bucks at the infamous worst tool store around(HF). It was by far the best tool I ever purchased from there. Just be careful to make sure there's no foreign material in the wood. I hit something metal in a stave once and had to replace the saw.