Chinese Siyah Splices
I have seen 2 kinds of splices used for attaching siyahs to the core in a Chinse bow. The first is an all wood siyah with a bend it in that becoems the splice. It usually seems that the siyah is cut out of wood with no regard to grain except for the thin, long siyah. This seems acceptable, because the part that is violated (the curve) will be covered with sinew.
The other one is made with the long, thin siyah piece and a knee.
http://198.66.52.119/photo/showimg.php? ... 02_305.jpg
I want to know if anyone has tried using 2 pieces to splice in a long siyah. I have some small ash pieces I want to use for the 'knee' part. I am planning on gluing 2 together to make it wider and carving it out. I want to make the siyah out of my straight grained white oak.
What kind of dimentions should I use for the knee?
A 4" splice into the core, and maybe 2.5 for the siyah? In the picture, it looks like a very small splice for the siyah, but the core one is long.
Does the grain matter on these? If I make it out of 2 pieces, The glue line will be in the middle, running the whole length of the piece.
Will this be alright, or will it split at the glue joint?
The other one is made with the long, thin siyah piece and a knee.
http://198.66.52.119/photo/showimg.php? ... 02_305.jpg
I want to know if anyone has tried using 2 pieces to splice in a long siyah. I have some small ash pieces I want to use for the 'knee' part. I am planning on gluing 2 together to make it wider and carving it out. I want to make the siyah out of my straight grained white oak.
What kind of dimentions should I use for the knee?
A 4" splice into the core, and maybe 2.5 for the siyah? In the picture, it looks like a very small splice for the siyah, but the core one is long.
Does the grain matter on these? If I make it out of 2 pieces, The glue line will be in the middle, running the whole length of the piece.
Will this be alright, or will it split at the glue joint?
hello Samuraiwarrior,
I think the glueline will be the strongest part of siyahs like these ones.
I prefer siyahs made out of one piece of the best mulberry or black locust I?m able to find:growthrings and grain running through the whole length of the siyah,no knots,complete growthrings on the back and the belly.Then I steambend them into the desired shape.
But I?m sure that these chinese siyah will work if you wrap the joints with sinew and back them with sinew.
These siyahs remind me a siyah-repair,I had to do some years ago.It works well till today!Maybe these pictures show us a repaired siyah,I can?t see any construction-conditioned reason here.
I think the glueline will be the strongest part of siyahs like these ones.
I prefer siyahs made out of one piece of the best mulberry or black locust I?m able to find:growthrings and grain running through the whole length of the siyah,no knots,complete growthrings on the back and the belly.Then I steambend them into the desired shape.
But I?m sure that these chinese siyah will work if you wrap the joints with sinew and back them with sinew.
These siyahs remind me a siyah-repair,I had to do some years ago.It works well till today!Maybe these pictures show us a repaired siyah,I can?t see any construction-conditioned reason here.
Redhawk: This is a picture I took, and the pieces are from an antique bow that have been taken apart by me. I have done such thing on at least 10 old Chinese bows,and 9 of them are made by splice in two pieces. Onle one exception(that one is made from wood core in one piece instead of bamboo). The "nodes" shown in the picture are placed in the bamboo core of bending area.
Oh! by the way almost 100% of these old bow cores(bamboo) are splited inside, I think that was caused by the process of flatting the bamboo.
Jang,Yuhua
Oh! by the way almost 100% of these old bow cores(bamboo) are splited inside, I think that was caused by the process of flatting the bamboo.
Jang,Yuhua
Yokhua, can you take more pictures of the knee and siyah pieces? Also with a ruler so I know how big they are?
Thanks
SW
Thanks
SW
hello Yokhua,
do you have any idea why these siyahs are made of 2 pieces?
I?ve given up to flatten bamboo-cores,cause sooner or later they will split.The bamboo has to be big enough,so you don?t have to flatten it.
do you have any idea why these siyahs are made of 2 pieces?
I?ve given up to flatten bamboo-cores,cause sooner or later they will split.The bamboo has to be big enough,so you don?t have to flatten it.