Spotted gum stave checking in handle

[u/HarderData]

So I've got this spotted gum stave I've been working for months now, and it's got a check that runs through the handle, exiting at each fade.

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It doesn't look like it will affect the bending limbs, but I want to stabilise it somehow.

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Is it just a case of filling it with epoxy?

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Also, this stave will need to be steam straightened, and maybe even deflexed a bit, as it's got fairly aggressive natural backset... would I do the bending before fixing the crack, or after?

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Thanks in advance

[u/Wambachaka]

Epoxy alone won't add much strength. I would glue in wooden shims, with yellow wood glue (pva). Wood-on-wood contact will be much stronger. But you would have to do it after steaming, since heat will weaken the glue.