Splice advice!! Help!!!!!!!

[ffdiggs]

So I spliced a set of billets together, straightened out the limbs. (they were pretty twisty), but limbs were still not lining up. It seemed that I needed to heat and bend at the handle where the fades are. All the heat caused my EA40 to crack and let go. So being the ever so daring individual I am, I used my Rockwell oscillation tool and cut out the glue joints and took it apart. My plan is to clean up the splice re-glue using thin wedges of wood to fill in the gaps and try to line my limbs up this way. I figure I would drill and pin with wood dowels through the handle also.
Any and all advice would be helpful.
(trying to attach pics)

[Pat B]

Drilling and pinning a splice can weaken the joint. Clean up the splice glue surfaces so it mates cleanly and well and re-glue it.

[Flem]

Doesn't look like that joint is ever going to mate cleanly. I would use a laminating fabric, like some biaxial fiberglass or carbon mat in the joint. I think you want something that will saturate and reinforce the epoxy.

[Eric Krewson]

Heat or steam your splice ends and clamp them together tightly without glue, they will mate well after this procedure. As for alignment; after gluing put one clamp in the middle of the splice, align the limbs with a string end to end and apply two more clamps, one on each end of the splice.

I have a post on the end of my workbench I use for alignment. I put the splice between the vise and the post, put one clamp in the middle of the splice and align the bow with shims between the bow limb and the post. This way once you get alignment nothing is moving while you apply more clamps.

Here is a stave in vise/post arrangement, not a spliced one but you get the idea. I straighten raw staves side to side with heat and the same arrangement. My vise swivels so I can put the stave on one side of the post or the other. The post is also a good stave support for serious draw knifing or rasping.

[ffdiggs]

Thanks Eric, I was kicking around the steam idea last night. Off to the shop, I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Roy from Pa]

Great suggestion, Eric...

[ffdiggs]

20 minutes of steam and clamped, Still some big gaps. I'm thinking maybe cutting shims out of some scrap osage and filling in the gaps at glue up. With EA40 applied in excess to everything.

[Bvas]

Could you trim a little off the points of your splice to allow them to slide together further?

[Eric Krewson]

Yep, you need shims, I have added shims on several splices when I got lost in a daydream while cutting them out on the bandsaw.  I don't have pictures but all came out tight and neat.

Another thing; Z splices are much easier to cut than fishtail splices. Our glues are so strong you don't need the extra surface area a fishtail provides.

[Eric Krewson]

The best way to lay out a splice is to draw it on a piece of paper and glue the drawing to your billet. This is a limb replacement in the picture. Cut just outside the lines, they never fit just right at first, I hold the splice up to a light and see where parts are rubbing and preventing a good fit. A few minutes of belt sanding and checking on these tight spots and I can get a very good fit, go slow!

[Flem]

I think Bvas just gave you the best advice for solving that gaposis. Simple, obvious and brilliant!

[Roy from Pa]

brilliant!

We talken about the same bvas?

 

Agree with Eric.

Z splices are easy and strong.

[ffdiggs]

I think i'll probably use Z splices next time, its kind of a pain cutting a W splice into a billet. If It doesn't glue up good this time I will probably cut it in half and use a take down sleeve on it. Stay tuned for final results.

[Bvas]

brilliant!

We talken about the same bvas?

 

Ahh cmon Roy. Ya know he is. 

[mwosborn]

I agree with using the shims.  Use plenty of glue on each surface and the EA40 should fill gaps the shims do not.  I would think that should hold unless you are going for a real heavy weight!

[Flem]

"We talken about the same bvas?"


You forgot simple and obvious

[Roy from Pa]

Oh yes on SIMPLE.

LOLOLOLOL

 

[Eric Krewson]

Another thing; When I splice billets I grind the bellies at the splice flat on my belt sander. I put the billet on my bandsaw table and sight down it to see if I need to angle the flat spot to get rid of any slight twist. With a flat belly you can run the billet through your saw with no slop.

 I always glue a little bit of wood on for a handle when I splice billets. If you leave your billets at least 1" thick the chance of a handle popping off is nil.

I make them like this;

[Bvas]

 

Oh yes on SIMPLE.

LOLOLOLOL

 

[ffdiggs]

Well i think i got it, doesn't look to bad considering. I'm gonna let it finish curing one more day. I may do a sinew wrap around the handle for added measure. Its probably gonna get a rawhide backing before its all said and done. We'll see how she holds up. Thanks for the advice everyone.