Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Jodocus on March 26, 2015, 02:15:19 pm
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I'm still having a hard time, takes a lot of fiddling to get it to fit. how do you go about it? Any tricks or procedures would be welcome.
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I think PatM does all his with hand tools maybe he will chime in
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Patience, patience, patience.... And a sharp Japanese pull saw.
I kept getting frustrated doing it by hand until I got a pull saw, and now while it's not easy, it's certainly achievable. I'm a big fan of the method of boiling the splice ends in water for an hour before dry fitting (really wedge them home hard for a tight fit) and letting it cool for a day or two before gluing.
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Patience, patience, patience....
yeah, that's what I meant with a lot of fiddling... I tried the boiling method, It's really helpful. I additionally clamped the splice area from the sides with good effect. And I do use a pull saw, although it's a cheap one.
You cut the male or the female first and then fit the other one to it?
Also, I tend to get slightly round faces from the cut no matter what (both sides, the cut flares out towards the edges) and have trouble getting them straight with a rasp.
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Ty a "Z" splice. You can cut both pieces at the same time and then fit them together.
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A pull saw that cuts a thin kerf and practice. Get some scraps and work on them before trying to get it right with perfect billets.
Only a v splice has a male /female configuration. All others are hermaphrodite. ;)
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I do Z splices every time. I can't cut them together as it would take forever with a hand saw, so I cut both separately and then sand and file them gradually to fit. They're never perfect, but I use offcuts of wood to plug gaps, tapping them in coated in glue, and it seems to work!
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No it won't take forever and the fit will automatically be much better. Most importantly it keeps the cuts on the same plane.
Or just use a simple v splice to make live easier in the fitting process.
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Jay made it look so easy in the Bowyers Craft! He did use a band saw. It took me about 3 hours to fit a store bought door threshold yesterday afternoon so I can't imagine a bow splice.
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...it keeps the cuts on the same plane.
Or just use a simple v splice to make live easier in the fitting process.
It might indeed reduce the round faces since the cut is longer... I'll definetly give it a try. And yes, I was doing a v splice to make my life easier. Just seemed less finickly.
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If you can't make a v- splice fit you REALLY need to practice. ;)
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Yeah they don't get much easier than a V
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everything about bow making is difficult at first,, thats why we do it ,, right??? :)
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I concur that Z-splices with hand tools are pretty tough for the unexperienced...
Simple V-splice does the trick for me, at least on my last bow (which is around 40#). After the glue has cured I drill two holes and add round plugs to secure the splice.
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everything about bow making is difficult at first,, thats why we do it ,, right??? :)
My dad had a saying, if it was easy anyone could do it :laugh::laugh:
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I concur that Z-splices with hand tools are pretty tough for the unexperienced...
Simple V-splice does the trick for me, at least on my last bow (which is around 40#). After the glue has cured I drill two holes and add round plugs to secure the splice.
Why? If the glue isn't going to hold, drilling holes in your splice is not going to help. :) :)
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Cutting splices by hand:
It all comes down to accurate marking out, and good quality tools.
The sides and belly should be planed flat and squar,. Not easy if you don't have the tools or experience.
Mark the splice on the back . The flat and square surfaces allow you use a combination square to project accurate lines around the sides, to the belly. Mark up the lines belly and you will have identical sets of lines on both back and belly.
Mark out waste area on both sides of both billets and double check that the correct areas will be cut.
Cut from both sides rather than sawing from one side and hoping the cut will stay square. A spliced handle is going to be 1.5 to 2" deep, from back to belly which is too much for most people to cut accurately with a handsaw.
When you cut from each side you first saw to the other side only at the top, then down the handle staying on the same side, the blade doesn't go through to the other side . Then flip it around and repeat. This leaves a hidden peak of material in the middle which you then cut. The billet now has kerfed partial depth cuts on both sides so sawing down the peak is easy as the kerfs guide the sawblade from one side to the other of the billet.
You need a good saw, either a very large western tenon saw rip cut teeth with a back on it to stiffen the blade. You will need one the allows at least 4.25" depth of cut. (expensive for a new one)
Better off getting a Japanese pull saw, with rip cut teeth, as they don't need a blade stiffener, so they can cut 4"depth no problem.
If you don't have any experience practice on some scraps, both squaring up and cutting.
Hamish.
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I completely agree with Hamish about the accuracy of your joint being directly related to how accurate you lay it out. I square up two surfaces like he does whether I'm going to cut the joint with a band saw or by hand. You are "dead in the water" if your joint isn't accuracy laid out not matter how you cut it.
I use a knife point to lay out joints too, not a pencil. A pencil is too wide and just not precise enough.
Practice and pay attention to the little details. It will improve all your woodworking skills.
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Good info Hamish - very well explained.