I was making a self bow out of hickory. While i was taking the bark off i accidentally violated the back of the bow :banghead: The staves look really good and i dont want to go back out into the woods and cut down another tree.
What are some solutions that i could pursue to fix this problem? Sinew backing? Bamboo?
The stave dimensions are 72"X 1.875". How much leg sinew would i need? What glue should i use--titebond or hide glue?
The back of the stave is very uneven and crowned. Would bamboo be practical or would i have to do a lot of cutting grinding and shaping?
Just chase the rings down until the cuts are gone. Be careful not to cut into the ring underneath the one you damaged.
That's way too long to sinew. Use rawhide. Or do what DVS says. Hickory is tough and can withstand a little violation.
I was really hoping that you all werent going to say that. I hate chasing growth rings, that is why i am working with hickory :/
I think i will try rawhide. Unless there is a better idea out there.
I'd just take a ring off. Been there.
Rawhide, silk, linen or paper backing should do the trick.
Hickory is pretty strong so you might not need to do anything like the others have said. I've used hickory backing strips that had terrible violations and never had a backing failure.
I say do nothing. or decrown the whole stave slightly.
I mean if you made a sawcut crossways in the back youd have a problem, but violating on ring on a hickory stave at a gentle angle isn't going to mean squat. People use hickory backing with limited runout all the time.
violating that ring will hurt the feelings of the bowyer more than it hurts the strength of a hickory stave.
or just blend that spot in so the violation is at a very gentle angle