Billets

[Jack Skinner]

Those of you that have made bows from billets

How do you square a rough set of billets to get them ready for the splice.

[Dan Landis]

If they are osage I chase my back ring first.Then lay the out limb center line and bow profile, rough it out leaving the handle area about 2" square by 4" long.   I then lay out my z splice lines using the centerline of the bow to keep everything aligned, then cut the splice and glue.

[Eric Krewson]

Your billets don't have to be square. Draw out your splice on paper, glue it to the billet and cut it out.

 

I flatten the belly of the billet on a belt sander so It will run through the bandsaw with out any wobble.

[Bowjunkie]

If it's not feasible to flatten and/or level the bottom of the billet in the area of the splice, or I just don't feel like messing with it, I clamp it to a short piece of 3" steel angle, wedging it as needed to hold it in alignment with the saw blade, and overhanging the angle so the saw blade doesn't contact it. Then the angle stays perfectly flat to on the saw table and all cuts will be in the same plane.

[Jack Skinner]

Thaks gentilmen I was thinking along the lines of Bowjunkie but like the idea of getting the bow to rough lines and then splicing. Will give me a better idea of the wood. I have a bunch of staves that are not sister billets and will be interesting to splice them.
Got this load from friends at OJAM and now have time to start a few more bows.
 

Bowjunkie how long is your piece of angle iron?