Heartbreaker

[backtowood B2W]

this 5 curve, purple leaf plum, stick bow had about 100 shots when it happened. The cracking noise was pretty scary, altought it didn't blow. Even the splinter didn't lift that much. It also seems not very deep but very long. Don't know how far it went beneath the raw hide build up handle. At the pin knot, where it started, some cambium popped off also.
It is 62" NtN, tillered it to 28"@53#, shot it with a 27" draw. Width is 1 1/8"; hollow limb design

Damm, it shot so powerful....
....is there a way to save it??? or is a broken back a broken back???
Two options:
1. CA it and wrap it with sinew or flax
2. Decrown it and back it with sinew

Please let me know if a repair is a waste of time, or if not which way you would go to save it
Thanks for your help!

[backtowood B2W]

thought the green lines to clear things up more were better to see

[DC]

Is it straight enough for a hard back like Bamboo?

[backtowood B2W]

Front profile is quite snaky.
also a pic from the the hollow limb.
I had another PLP stick, which blew completely - also had a high crown like this that's why I tried a hld on that.

[sleek]

That let go at a knot. Not your fault. Lucky for you, the splinter looks shallow. Scrape down a ring, and then sinew back it. You will be back in business.  Pretty bow btw.

[Weylin]

Ooh, boy. Maybe I'm a chicken but that one looks like a goner to me.

[Mafort]

Rough up the back some and sinewback it. Even one layer of sinew will save that bow. It’s pretty amazing stuff. You can sinew back up to the end of the stave if you want or only sinew back the handle and working limb and feather out towards the tips. You can save this bow. Good luck

[bownarra]

If you really, really want to try and save it....then rasp off the crown until you are totally certain you are below the cracked area. Then sand it dead smooth. Then get the motorbike helmet on and string it up. If it survives a half draw with no hint of anything untoward happening (noises) then unstring it and rub cottonwool up and down the back if anything has lifted even a fraction the wool will catch on it. If you are good, rough up the whole back. Lay one sinew layer covering the whole back and then two more narrower than the limb to crown the sinew a little.
Good luck

[backtowood B2W]

Sliced off the raw hide today, the splinter stopped right at center.
I put some hours into the belly with all its knots and hld...
tomorrow I will look how deep the splinter went and decide if I will carry on.
Thanks for your advices, it seems there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Should I decrown a bit further than the starting point or the whole back? The outers are quite stiff.

[bownarra]

Whole back.

[backtowood B2W]

The crack went 3 growth rings down
The stick was just 6 years old, so with the hld, which goes down to the pith, only 3 remaining rings.
Not much meat, and thinking of the flatten out of hld limbs....
Nope i wont and save sinew and time for another bow.
What I've learned:
1. little bit more bend in the outers
2. 45 - 50# was my goal when I started, became to euphoric as it didn't take much set (in the inners ), and left it at 53#.
   was looking too good to be real.
nevertheless thanks again helping out

[bradsmith2010]

if you had sinew backed it at first,, it may have worked and you could get the weight,,nothing for sure in bow making
the high crown and narrow stave was a big ask,, but did work for a while like you said,,
a lighter weight bow as you mentioned would have had a higher rate of success,,
I think you did a great job,, its hard to be conservative sometimes,,youll do great on the next one,,