Attaching limbs to the handle

Beaumont · Post by **Beaumont** » Tue Jul 14, 2015 8:20 pm

I am starting my first Turkish style composite bow. I have a decent-ish idea about most of the build, but I am uncertain about attaching he limbs (sals) to the handle.

I have cut the v splice, and when I think of simply gluing them with hide glue, it seems like they will never hold. Do I need to wrap them with sinew? Put on side plates like the Mongol bows?

If anyone has advice or photos I would appreciate it. Please don't tell me to buy Adan's book because they are all being carefully guarded by a dragon under the mountain 😀 seriously, I can't find a copy anywhere, which is why I am appealing to the bright minds here.

Fwiw, the limbs are bamboo and the handle is ash.

Thanks,

Beau

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:37 pm

You may be able to find several videos on You Tube showing you how to do the handle with single "V" splices. Hide and fish glues are usually stronger than the wood. You just have to get a close fitting join which animal glues are good at pulling even tighter and stronger as they dry.

There are quite a few good bowyers on this site who will share pictures of their construction processes. It's a shame you can't get a copy of Adam's book. Perhaps he will do another edition.

Bone handle reinforcements were not generally constructed to reinforce the "V" splices since they were beyond the bone strips. One exception is early bows that had a single diagonal splice in the handle. Sinew bindings near the handle were normally to prevent the horn or sinew from separating from the core.

mikekeswick · Post by **mikekeswick** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 7:08 am

Yes just a simple v splice. I use 4 1/2 inch long splices. The fit must be flawless and heat your parts thoroughly before gluing, also size the parts well.

lurz · Post by **lurz** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 7:56 am

And remember, you will have horn on one side of the v-splice, and sinew on the other, strengthening it further.

jkekoni · Post by **jkekoni** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 9:49 am

mikekeswick wrote: I use 4 1/2 inch long splices. The fit must be flawless and heat your parts thoroughly before gluing, also size the parts well.

You can make the not flawless. make the parts wet. hammer in. Dry. Take apart. The bond is flawless. Glue.

Using epoxy is another method, but hide glue does not bond with epoxy.

You cannot glue thin sals on handle. They must be think in the glueing part.

One first glues the sal parts to handle. Then add horn. Then makes the sal thin. (and there are also other way to do that.)