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Billet Splices

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CRCopland:
My first few billet splice efforts a few years ago were disaster. I had read about the Z splice in TBBible volume 1 and how you would 12" of gluing surface by doing so. I had also seen a few bowyers on you.tube make it look easy. I soon found it was harder than it looked. I have a small bandsaw now and my last couple of splices have been acceptable.

The trouble I have with the Z splice is not only the difficulty in getting a fine fit but also the fact that I use a vice to hold my stave while thinning limbs and removing wood. Quite often I have to put a great deal of pressure in the handle area to hold the stave in place and this puts strain on the thin wood and epoxy at the joined area. i guess if I used a shave horse I could eliminate the problem but I like using the vice.

My last splice was a simple box joint splice, as shown on page 208 of TBB1. It has only 9 1/2" glue surface but the joint is much simpler to cut and fit. The handle area is also supported better in the vice better when clamped it is being clamped down. I will drill a small whole in the join and insert an epoxied wooden dowel through the grip.

Am I at much of a disadvantage by splicing billets in this manner? The join seems to be holding very well and I have been satisfied with the results.

Jim Davis:
You will have less trouble if you leave the Z-spliced handle in the rough while working the limbs down and shape the handle after.

superdav95:

--- Quote from: Jim Davis on January 17, 2024, 08:08:50 pm ---You will have less trouble if you leave the Z-spliced handle in the rough while working the limbs down and shape the handle after.

--- End quote ---

Agreed.   Here’s a pic of the last one I did with yew billets. 

Eric Krewson:
Sounds like you need some vise pads to hold your stave without much pressure. You don't have to clamp the splice in the vise, you can clamp the fade area.

I use these, easy to make, easy on and off.





I highly recommend a post to support your stave while you work, this will minimize the pressure you put on a stave while it is in the vise. This is an old picture with cheap magnet vise pads, they worked poorly.



Another thing, the glued area of your splice is a lot stronger than bare wood, it is highly unlikely vise pressure will harm it.

Gordon:
I've spliced a LOT of billets with a Z-splice and never had an issue working a spliced bow down in a vice. But I am obsessive about getting a good fit and only use high quality glue that is suitable for the purpose. My opinion is that if your splice is failing while working a bow in a vice, then it would likely also fail in use.

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