Plum advice please

[Rākau]

Oh yeah, that is some gnarly cracks in there DC! the sawdust and epoxy looks like it did a good job though?
Thanks for posting thise photo's! I will leave bark on and reduce past the pith then seal up with wood glue on any and all exposed wood, as well as cling wrap and a cool dark place for a few weeks, checking to make sure there isn't any moisture build up. maybe even clamp it down to reduce warping?

Slimbob, fingers crossed this one stays together!!!

Zach

[Limbit]

Yeah, you shouldn't freak out over cracks so long at they don't run off the edge of the bow. Just get saw dust and cyanoacrylic superglue and fill it. Epoxy is fine too. Even if it runs off the edge of the bow, you can do the same thing and then bind the area with some thread as you tiller it toward the end. Just do this during last 2/3 of the way on the tiller tree. If it makes it that far without breaking, you'll need to bind it to be sure it goes the whole way. When you are done tillering, remove the thread and place a more permanent bind of whatever type you want over the exact same area. Don't make it any thicker or longer than the original bind though or it'll throw your tiller off a bit. The aboriginals here where I live do it all the time this way since the wood they use checks uncontrollably during seasoning.

[Bryce]

Yep he’s right. I’m not sure about the wrap thing though I have a feel in it will still break. I have a bow made from Purple-Leaf Plum (the prince of bow woods FYI) and it’s 56” nock—>nock, 1-1/4” wide narrowing down to 7/16” tips, at the nock. Pulls #65@28” and it has a crack on the back that runs 2/3rds the length of the entire back. At its widest it’s about 1/8”-3/16”
I’ve got more than 1000 shots through it and it’s still shoring to this day. The key part is that the crack doesn’t venture of the edge of the limbs. I never even filled it in. Wanted to see what would happen and it’s been 5 years now.

[DC]

I wonder if that packing tape with the filaments in it would work as a temp wrap to use during tillering. It would be a lot easier than thread to take off and put on during trips to the tree.

[Bryce]

I wonder if that packing tape with the filaments in it would work as a temp wrap to use during tillering. It would be a lot easier than thread to take off and put on during trips to the tree.

The clear tape with the white stripes through it? I believe those filaments are strips of fiber glass

[DC]

Yeah, that's the stuff. It would just be momentary use of fiberglass

[Limbit]

Anything durable is fine, just not to thick. In reality, if you are just binding where the split leaves the edge and a bit above and below it, it doesn't seem to matter if you use thicker material. I've only noticed tillering issues when the bind was long and thick. In the past I would also make a mirror bind on the opposite limb to balance the tiller as I was taught by the local aboriginal archers, but now I feel like it is more aesthetic than anything. Looks nice and is surprisingly durable. If it is a real concern, horizontal threads can be laid down over the run off soaked in whatever glue you want. When it dries, sand it smooth then bind over the top of it. Sinew can be used this way too.

[Rākau]

Awesome kōrero (words/talk) guys, I really appreciate all the advice that is coming in.

Bryce: Its funny, plum is hardly talked about and you really have to hunt around to find photo's and ideas of bows made from it, yet every time you do find something everyone raves about it! I wonder why it isn't mentioned more often?
that sounds like a gnarly bow though bro, with some crazy stats, would love to see a photo! hopefully this thing works out half as good.

Limbit: I will keep the wrapping idea in mind if I get some bad cracks, hopefully it behaves itself when drying though!

[Bryce]

Bryce: Its funny, plum is hardly talked about and you really have to hunt around to find photo's and ideas of bows made from it, yet every time you do find something everyone raves about it! I wonder why it isn't mentioned more often?
that sounds like a gnarly bow though bro, with some crazy stats, would love to see a photo! hopefully this thing works out half as good.

It’s difficult to dry without fatal checking. Plum and a lot of other really nice fruit bow woods it dont like to cure like traditional woods. Plus most aren’t native growing out on public land for cutting. Most are in yards and private property. So if someone does have a nice fruit stave like apricot, peach or plum it’s usually Harvested in the bowyers yard or family member. Then ends up cracking so much while drying that it ends up being scrap.

[Limbit]

Yep, what Bryce said. You can get billets if you ask an orchard for their cuttings, but be prepared to look through a lot of wood for something at all usable. Crabapple, mulberry and persimmon are really the major fruit woods you'd find naturally and people use those all the time.