Almost done with #1 - BROKEN :-(

[Marks]

Tragidy struck last night. I went over to my uncles house to work on my bow and help him get started on one. It was my uncle, cousin, and granny standing around talking. My cousin tried to pull it back and bless his heart, he is a weakling. My Granny was messing with him and said let me pull that thing back. she pulled about 6-8 inches. lol. They told me to show em how its done and boy did I ever. I got it all the way back and held it a second and BOOM!!! Luckily the string loop held onto the break because it would have hit granny.  I'm pretty bummed but I realize it is part of learning. Not real sure what caused it. It broke straight across. It also brok right in that stiff area of the upper limb. I would have expected the break to happen near the limb where it was bending more heavily. My Uncle said he heard 3 distinct pops. I have 1 pic but I want to make some more later and see if yall can help me see where it went wrong. I had tried to do a little steam correction in that area a few weeks ago. No pin knots in that area either. Being this was my first bow my wife actually cried because she knew how much I had worked on it. I just smiled and shook my head. Split happens.

[rossfactor]

Well, first things first, realize that you are in some good company.  Of the folks I know that make beautiful bows, all have broken their share... many broke their first.  And yours wasn't looking bad for a first effort.  Sucks to do it in front of others... been their myself.

Second.... the next one will be easier. When you get the stave floor tillered, and you start scraping on the limbs, check the tiller very frequently,  even if their seems to be no change... this way you start to pick up the minute changes that can become problems before they do.  Also, I'd say to be careful to leave some wood at the fades (just outside of the handle...) and scrape slowly in this area until the bow is just bending.   Read some tiller-alongs on this site, to see what others do... but more importantly, just make more bows yourself. 

You will get there and make awesome bows. Keep at it.

Gabe

[Stringman]

Sounds like you have the right idea. Ya either ride em till they're broke, or ride em till they buck ya. Either way you get back on!

Scott

[George Tsoukalas]

2 things. 1-never draw a stave beyond what I takes to expose a problem. Fix the top limb at very short draws to work in the change. Not even you should have been at full draw until tiller was fixed. 2- do not let anyone draw your bow your bow unless you know his draw length.
Get another stave and have at it. Jawge

[Weylin]

I've got to agree with everything George just said. I think the real take home message from this break is that you don't pull past a problem. If you know there's a stiff spot or a hinge then you should not ever be at full draw. Sounds like you havethe right attitude about it though. Shrug it off learn what you can and start again. Have fun with it. 

[Marks]

2 things. 1-never draw a stave beyond what I takes to expose a problem. Fix the top limb at very short draws to work in the change. Not even you should have been at full draw until tiller was fixed. 2- do not let anyone draw your bow your bow unless you know his draw length.
Get another stave and have at it. Jawge

1. I'm 6'3" 240# and he is 5'8" 14# and doesn't do anything but play video games so I knew he couldn't draw back too far and I also knew Granny wasn't a threat haha.

2. I should have known better. Thanks for the advice. I still find it odd that it broke on the stiff part.

[Marks]

[autologus]

Are the edges on the back sharp or rounded?  It kind of looks like they are sharp, if that is the case it could have started at the edge with a splinter then catastrophically failed.

Grady

[Marks]

Rounded. I think its the lighting.

[PrimitiveTim]

I did a similar thing to my first bow a few months ago.  I just popped up a splinter on the back.  No explosion. lol.  I know how you feel though.  I had put a ton of work into mine.  A lot more work than on my later bows.  My problem was that I was worrying about poundage and was afraid to take off too much wood.  After that I just made a bow that shoots and had fun with it until I broke it.  I'd suggest just making something that has a good tiller and is fun.  When you think you're ready go for something with higher poundage. Just my two cents.

[rps3]

How long was the bow? 29" is not a short draw?

[Marks]

Bow was 65"ntn  1.5" wide.  I'm 6'3" and long armed.

[WillS]

1. I'm 6'3" 240# and he is 5'8" 14# and doesn't do anything but play video games so I knew he couldn't draw back too far

I used to think like this.  Then I learnt that draw length has almost nothing to do with strength.  There are 16 year old kids pulling 100# bows out there.  Its all technique and fluid movement.  Granted if he's tiny then its unlikely his arms would let him pull a dangerous length but don't assume that he wouldn't be able to do it.  I've heard quite a few stories about bodybuilders not being able to pull somebody's bow.

[Marks]

[Sidewinder]

Tough break but it happens. Looks similar to the break I had couple weeks ago on a hackberry I was almost done with. Keep at it, you can do it.   Danny