Reply To: Is it possible to repair a splinter?

[hrhodes]

#28012

Steve Graf wrote: If the bow is backed with linen, then I am guessing the splinter is on the side of the limb? Or is the belly cracked?

In general, you can glue a splinter down. For added security, you can wrap the limb with thread after that to assure the splinter stays down (glue the thread down as well). Some folks add another wrap of thread on the opposite limb to even out the tiller from the stiffening effect of the thread…

If the belly is cracked in the working part of the limb, my very limited experience is that failure is immanent… except for the following possibility:

Dean Torges has a “build along” on his website showing how to grind out a belly crack and replace it with good wood. I have a bow I am going to try that one one day. It looks easy enough.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the advice Steve. The belly of the bow looks fine. The splinter is on the side and about a fourth of the way across the back. The bow is about an inch and three quarters wide where the crack showed up. I will give the repair a try. I think I will build my bows a little longer in the future. I will let you know how it turns out.