Splicing Went Wrong.... Help Needed PLZ

[arachnid]

Hi Guys.

Long story short- 2 mulberry billets, tried to splice them but someting in the cut went wrong (billets not aligned and twisted, the splice cut is not snug...).
Question is- is it repairable or should I just use`m for 3pc take-down limbs (Pearl Drums made a great looking TD with osage limbs a while ago).
Here are the pics:

[arachnid]

Another idea I just had is to flatten the belly side of the handle section on each billet, glue a handle block and saw`em slant and flat so they fit. Then make a fiberglass sleeve and have a 2pc takedown. Doable?

[Del the cat]

You shouldn't have any cuts going across the limb at all. Even if you are going to reduce the width later.
Mark out the line of the finished bow, draw on the splice, extending all lines right out to the full width.
There is a pic on this blog entry that might help.
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/tidy-up-and-splicing-yew-billets.html
Do it on some scrap wood first to get the hang of it, and if a Z splice is too fiddly, then do a loooooong V splice.
Saw 'em both off and start again.
There should be one straight cut on both Zs which runs down the centreline.
No substitute for taking the time to get it right... no quick fixes with spicing IMO.
Del

[PatM]

Looks like you put it together wrong too. You can remove those "shoiulders" and work on everything gradually to attain a better fit.

[arachnid]

You shouldn't have any cuts going across the limb at all. Even if you are going to reduce the width later.
Mark out the line of the finished bow, draw on the splice, extending all lines right out to the full width.
There is a pic on this blog entry that might help.
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/tidy-up-and-splicing-yew-billets.html
Do it on some scrap wood first to get the hang of it, and if a Z splice is too fiddly, then do a loooooong V splice.
Saw 'em both off and start again.
There should be one straight cut on bot Zs which runs down the centreline.
No substitute for taking the time to get it right... no quick fixes with spicing IMO.
Del

Thanks Del. Next time I`m making a V splice... much simpler...
Problem is, the billets are too short to cut and start over. If I cut`em, it`ll leave me with 30" long billets. If I do a 4" splice' it`ll give me a 56" bow, a bit shot for a stiff handle for my 26" draw, no?

[Marc St Louis]

That is a bit of a mess indeed.  I would sort of do like Pat suggested but only in the sense of modifying what you have done to get a better fit.  If you want to save this then you will have to go slow and think before doing anything more.  You can save it and only lose perhaps a couple inches of length at most, be creative

[PatM]

It  is actually put together wrong though, no?

[Eric Krewson]

I don't think you can rescue that splice job.

On your next attempt, draw a centerline on your billets, draw your splices very neatly on a piece of paper, both sides apposing on one piece of paper, cut out your patterns and glue them to your billets lining them up with the center lines. I use white elmer's school glue to glue on the patterns.

In this case I am adding a new limb to a finished bow after a limb failure.



This is before I started the splice, you can see my pattern in the background.



Pretty good fit;

[stuckinthemud]

I've messed up where I put the pattern on with both billets side by side facing the same way, then when I put them end-to-end found I'd cut one out back-to-front so now I always line them up butt-to-butt so the pattern goes on correct way round with no thinking about which way is up.  What Eric says, but after cutting the first side, check it still fits the other side's pattern BEFORE you cut out the other side.

My vote would go to a take-down bow.

[PatM]

At least try fitting it together properly and then see what you can do with the fit.

[bradsmith2010]

what Pat said,,i think you have it orientated on the wrong notch

[arachnid]

Tried to fit them the other way. The alignment is way off.
So, a 2pc or 3pc takedown?

[PatM]

Show us a pic. Trust me., get rid of the shoulders so the ends aren't stopped from moving. There is only one right way for them to fit together, not two choices

 Work on it a bit. You have a huge amount of alignment capability after you clamp them. You can also boil the ends and soften them and then temporarily clamp and align and they will dry and retain that shape and fit.

[Drewster]

It  is actually put together wrong though, no?

Yes, it does appear you have the joint put together in the wrong slots.  Try moving it over.

Eric's layout method will help you a lot on the next one.   Cutting good splices requires some precision, so I always flatten the belly of both splice areas.  I put them on my workbench and make sure the limbs line up properly with no propeller twist in them.  I then square one side on each limb with the belly cut.  Now, using these two trued surfaces, you can cut the ends square.  With these three cuts you can now layout your splice cut accurately using the center line of the limbs and have a true surface on the belly to band saw your splice.  Even if you are hand sawing the slice, this layout will give you accurate lines to cut to.  I also use a knife, not a pencil to layout my splice.......much more accurate.  These techniques were learned from building furniture and having to cut very precise joinery.  Good luck and take your time.

[arachnid]

Well. I put them together the other way. The splice seems to fit better, but the alignment is WAY worse.