Selfbow help....Po Boy buildalong stalls

[jared s]

Trouble in paradise.....The HHB I'm working on for my buildalong is running into some problems, heres some pictures of what I've got going on. I love this wood but the problem I'm finding is that what look like little pin knots on the back turn into 1/4" holes in the belly.
This first picture shows the back, in the layout I thought Id given the knot plenty of room.



Heres the limb from the side:



And from the belly:



The way the knot angled in, its now right on the edge of the limb, and the more I thin it, the worse it gets. So what now? The dark wood visible from the side view of the limb and around the right side of the knot seems sound, but the knot itself on the belly has two cracks in it.
Am I lost? Dig out the weak spots and fill it with sinew and hide glue? Sinew wrap the whole area? Damn the torpedoes and steam ahead? I appreciate any advice, I dont want this one blowing up in front of the whole world!  

[Pat B]

I'd fill the cracks with super glue and keep on keeping on! Keep that edge a bit proud around the knot and continue removing wood from the belly side.   Are you at or near floor tiller stage?  Pat

[jared s]

Hey Pat, thanks for the reply, glue and go for it is what I'm leaning towards. I'm just getting to floor tiller, bending with the tip on my toe, I can get maybe 3" of flex.

[jared s]

Oh, and with the superglue method, what kind do I go for? Thats one of the few glues I dont have around right now. Do I need to thin it to get it to run into small cracks? If so, with what?
Thanks
Jared

[dosbow56]

Jared,
Drop me an email when you get a chance, your schmijar isn't working.
Dave
dosbow56@sbcglobal.net

[Jim now in Kentucky]

I'd just go ahead. Remember, wood on the belly side will be in compression. As long as that knot isn't punky you should be fine. As said above, don't narrow the knot area at all. Just leave it hanging out in the wind.

Jim

[George Tsoukalas]

When you tiller let that knot appear a bit stiff. Jawge

[Pat B]

I use whatever super glue I can get cheapest. Use the thin type(not gel) and it will get down in the cracks. If the cracks are big enough you can probe them with a pin after you apply the glue to help shake loose any air that might be trapped. If too big add a bit of fine saw dust as a filler.
  I've just finished my first HHB bow and it is very resilient wood. Similar to hickory IMO.  Pat

[Eric Krewson]

You are better off buying a good super glue like Loc-Tite. The dollar store stuff won't hardly glue your fingers together. I would rather spend a buck or two more and have a superior glue for a repair.

[John Scifres]

It looks to me like you can get rid of it.  The big dark spot is just where you have gotten into a big limb on its edge.  You should be able to get rid of it.  Then there is a small pin branch, that little dark spot on the side, it shouldn't cause problems.  The grain on the back runs nice and straight.  I'd rasp that whole zit off the side if it were my bow.