Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: cool_98_555 on September 22, 2018, 11:44:46 am
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Hey guys I am having a bit of an issue here. I was working down a stave into bow dimensions and just randomly found some small cracks in one tip. Looks like it was along a ring but not sure. It runs about 2 inches down the limb, so I filled it with superglue, clamped it and sanded it back down. What you see in the pictures is the superglued version. Is it nothing to worry about or should I consider chopping 2" off each limb and making it more of a recurve? It is at 66" right now with a stiff handle and I really want to keep it as a longbow if I can and I have a 29" draw. Just seeing what you all think. The crack doesn't ever run up to the back of the bow at any point, so I can probably assume it will be fine as long as I don't cut through the back when filing the nocks, right?
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If it’s along a ring, it’s probably a separation of the rings called Wind shake. When I milled lumber, I got some walnut and white oak logs from the same guy that fell to pieces when cut into boards. I had never seen such a thing. If that is what you have, I wouldn’t trust the stave
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How wide is the tip? You may be able to eliminate the cracks by narrowing that side of the tip.
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They are 3/8" wide and 3/4" thick (you are looking at the thickness in the picture). The cracks go all the way through to the other side.
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29" draw shouldn't be too much for a 64" bow if you cut 2" off. You can bring the working area of the limb back into the fades to gain as little more working limb. You could probably wrap the tip but you are better off with a clean tip...as long as the wind checks don't continue on unseen.
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Ok....so you're saying just be safe and chop it off? Ok I can do that.....I have 2 options i'm playing with here: 1) Cut 2" off both limbs and make it 62" and just make a reflexed bow at 29", or 2) Cut just 2" off of the bad limb making it 64" and asymmetrical with the top limb being 2" longer than the bottom.
Thoughts?
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Have you already added the handle riser? Pics?
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Narrow the tips and put a substantial overlay on them, you will be good to go.
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I agree with Eric. If I were doing it I'd be much more concerned that you have tips 3/8 wide and ( :o ) 3/4! thick. Maybe you misstyped? A tip should never be thicker than it is wide.
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A tip should never be thicker than it is wide.
Not true.
Just a few of many examples
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?topic=54691.0
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,21987.30.html
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?topic=31725.0
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A few examples of tips made thicker than wide does not make it a good principle. The danger is that it is easier for the tip to bend sideways than the desired way.
If the thick section is short enough to not bend either way, it will work, but don't think a long tapering tip that is narrower than thick will be no problem.
I've got one example that balances your examples.
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It comes down to the design of the bow tips. Certain designs need a tip that is thicker than the width. Some designs don't. To say that it should never be thicker is not true.
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2 phots down...I see 2 cracks.
I'm wondering why draw knifing them off is not an option.
That's what I've done in the past whenever I could. Draw knife towards the tips.
Jawge