Re-facing a longbow.....

[robtattoo]

Is it possible to re-face a splintered bow?

After much care & patience, bracing, partially drawing, re-bracing, settling & finally drawing my old longbow, the poor old thing has given way I kinda expected it to, after a very long layup

Rather than exploding or fully snapping, the wood on the back of the bow started to seperate from the belly, roughly 12" up from the bottom nock. As soon as I heard it go, I let the bow down. After a good look & close inspection, I figured I'd try to re-string it & see what happens. It strung perfectly & still tillers OK up to half-draw, but I wouldn't dare fully draw it.

I was wondering if it would be possible to save the bow by backing it with rawhide, or should I just retire it to the mantlepiece as a talking point?
It has a very flat back, almost like an AFB, but a very deep, rounded belly. I do know that it's a home-made bow, but I've no idea what the wood is.

[robtattoo]

hopefully, you can see the damage in this photo.


This shows the back of the bow, from 12" to 18" up from the nock.


The profile, through the handle


The belly, through the handle.


Can anyone help at all. or is this a lost cause?

[laminatekid]

Pete davidson does repairs ask him http://www.tradlongbows.co.uk/Repairs.htm he would be able to tell you if its worth doing

[wingate_52]

A repair would change the characteristics of the bow the damaged half would become more stiff with the application of adhesive. If you seperated the laminates (very difficult) there are no flat faces to clamp together you would have to wrap in cord or rubber, cleaning up the glued joint will result in some loss of poundage.

[robtattoo]

I don't think it's a laminated bow, it looks like it's been made from a board, rather than a stave. I was wondering about the possibilities of backing the entire bow with either rawhide or bamboo to keep the tiller characteristics even. If i removed some wood from the back, to give a good gluing surface & then rebuild with a different laminate, would I not be able to keep the poundage?

Looking at the damage... My advice...bin it, and buy a new one

[robtattoo]

Yep, that seems to be the general concensus.

Well, at least I can salvage the nocks & string

[provins]

Take it to a professional bowyer such as Pip Bickerstaff.
You'ld be amazed at what these guys can do.
All may not be lost just yet.

[robtattoo]

I'm going to KG at the weekend, actually. I'll take it & let Keith have a look at it. Although I have a feeling that he's going to tell me that it'll not be worth it. It's probably going to cost more to fix than to replace, if an 80 year old bow can be replaced

[Yew Selfbow]

Originally Posted by robtattoo

I'm going to KG at the weekend, actually. I'll take it & let Keith have a look at it. Although I have a feeling that he's going to tell me that it'll not be worth it. It's probably going to cost more to fix than to replace, if an 80 year old bow can be replaced

I'm with Provins on this one... No disrespect to Keith but Pip's your man..