New guys first bow-harsh criticism please

[Don Case]

As I was tillering and flexing the bow the bark cracked and flaked off the back of the thin end in a couple or three spots. The wood looks fine but I'm wondering if I'm pushing too hard?

Any comments about this?
Thanks
Don

[PEARL DRUMS]

Sounds like possible cambium peeling up, hope so anyway.

[steelslinger]

As I was tillering and flexing the bow the bark cracked and flaked off the back of the thin end in a couple or three spots. The wood looks fine but I'm wondering if I'm pushing too hard?

Any comments about this?
Thanks
Don

It will pop off sometimes. I built one for my son, and the bark never cracked, I built one for his friend and all of the bark popped off. I think it just depends on the stick.

[Bryce]

If the wood was harvested in warmer months then the bark has a good chance if popping of. If you harvest during the coldest part of the year then the bark is far less likely to do so.

[Don Case]

Here it is again after a couple days of tillering. For this photo I made a new tillering stick and put the bow on it with the intention of pulling it to 24" but I counted wrong. Here it is drawn to 27" OOOPS! I have misplaced my scale so I can't give you a weight. I think I see too much bend on the right hand limb.  Does overdrawing it once do much damage? It had 3" of set after this but it's slowly straightening out to its normal 1 1/2". Comments please.
Thanks
Don

Forgot the picture!

[Danzn Bar]

WOW!!!! .................that sure is some bend.
Ocean spray is some real tough stuff.  what does the un brace profile and the back look like???
Wow I'm speechless
DBar

[Joec123able]

Letting it sit on the tree drawn to 27 inchs is a bad idea I use a tillering tree for early tillering only because letting it sit full drawn is gonna cause more string follow.

[Don Case]

Here's the unbraced and back. The back picture ain't that great, maybe you can see what you want. It was only drawn to 27" long enough to take the picture. I think I may have strained it a bit as it's staying at about 2-2.5" I found a smaller scale that only goes to 25# and the bow hits that at about 21" draw. Probably not bad for a child.
Don

[CherokeeKC]

The outer parts of each limb need to bend more

[Danzn Bar]

Live and learn..... bout time to start another one, don't ya think?  Can't build to many!
DBar

[Don Case]

Definitely time to start a new one but that was the only seasoned stick I had. Now I have to wait a few months for the others to dry. I plan on making this one to death. I want to try heat treating, apparently OS responds well to that. I want to narrow the tips to see what that does. I should probably practice shooting this one. I hung the broad side of a barn in the front yard and I couldn't hit it. I also have to learn to make arrows. I should be able to fill the time til a new stave is ready. Then I can collect more so I won't run out again.
Don

[George Tsoukalas]

Over drawing causes set, chrysalls  or breakage. Jawge

[Danzn Bar]

Sounds like you got plenty to do......Have fun and enjoy makin shavings
DBar

[Don Case]

The outer parts of each limb need to bend more

I used a tillering block(the block with a pencil screwed in it) and at 23" it was even. That's as far as I went. I noticed that as I was tillering that as I increased the draw the first part that the pencil hit was the outer limbs. I think this means that as you increase the draw the outer limbs need to be thinned more than the inner. I think the outer limbs are looking stiffer because I over extended the bow when I drew it to 27".
Don

[toomanyknots]

Woah! Thats a heck of a bend!