Bow exploded - Critiques please

[Red Tailed Hawk]

I also agree with Del that outer limb is not doing much work. A bendy handle design would help you get to 30" draw at a shorter length.

[mikekeswick]

I'd say the problem is you made it from a board and board bows are unpredictable

How are boards unpredictable?? The grain tells you EVERYTHING you need to know!! Learning how to read what it's telling you is the hard bit.

[mikekeswick]

Personally I tend to stay away from quarter sawn boards. The grain must be straight-edge straight when you use quarter sawn. At a glance it may look good to go but a lot of quarter sawn wood will break your heart!
Also linen doesn't do a whole lot of protection. Thick rawhide is tougher.

[MWirwicki]

To me, the virtually straight across break to me looks like dry rot, or the wood being too dry.  Maybe length wouldn't have mattered in this case.  However, I would agree with your first instincts that it coulda been a couple of inches longer.  Draw length at 30, times 2 equals 60 + 10 inch stiff handle totals 70".  Basic rule of thumb.  Being backed, you might have gotten away with the couple less inches.  Osage selfbow might be able to take it but I'm not so sure about the maple board.  Just my two cents...

[dwardo]

I have gotten away with some shocking tillers early on and never had a break like that. But... I have only ever used staves and not boards. Not saying boards are any worse or better but I know where my staves have come from, how long they have dried and if they have ever been badly treated or not.
Commiserations.

[Pappy]

What Matt said,glad he typed it so I didn't have to. A little more bend in the fad and little less at mid limb, Might have helped,I usuall keep the outer 1/3 fairly stiff on mine also.
   Pappy

[burchett.donald]

Fades too stiff, don't have a problem with the tips. Sorry it broke, I know you worked hard.

[4giveme]

Hi bubbles,
If you don't mind can you tell me what the moisture content of the bourd is?
4giveme

[Del the cat]

Out of interest, if you put something with a right angle like a business card or corner of a sheet of paper up against the pic. You'll see the string angle is still well short of 90 degrees and therefore nowhere near giving the effect of 'stacking'.
Say it's 5 degrees less than 90, we all think that's fine... If it was 5 dgrees over the 90 would everyone be wailing in horror? I dunno, just askin'
Del

[George Tsoukalas]

A 68" bow with a 10" handle, drawn 29.5" means you drew it way too far. When the working limb is 2x the draw it's a bad situation. Quarter sawn  needs perfect edge grain tip to tip straight as Mike said. May I suggest a board bow with a working handle-1.5" for 50 # and 1 3/8" for 45#. 69-70" for at least for the draw mentioned. See my site. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/index.html

[gpw]

Aside from all the other good suggestions ... Limbs could have been a little wider thinner, instead of a longer bow ....  but like MW said , it just looks like a bad piece of wood ...  Happens !!! 

[bubbles]

Hi bubbles,
If you don't mind can you tell me what the moisture content of the bourd is?
4giveme

I don't have a moisture meter, so I dont know. That could have been part of the problem.

[adb]

I'd say the problem is you made it from a board and board bows are unpredictable

Rubbish.

[vinemaplebows]

I agree with the bend issues, but is that rock/sugar maple? There are other maples that look similar, but are a lighter wood.


VMB

[adb]

More rubbish.