If you want olde-worlde looks, but modern strength, ditch the pine pitch. Whe I do mine, I mix a drip of black printer ink with some Devcon 2-ton epoxy. Glue the head in place & it's as solid & strong as you'd ever need & then, once it's solid, wrap with sinew for the look of the thing. I finish the sinew with a light smear of either superglue or clear epoxy.
One thing you'll find really helps is to make sure the notch you cut for the head is a close, but loose, fit. If it's too tight it'll squeeze the head out make it difficult to get stable.