Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: D. Tiller on October 18, 2007, 01:04:58 pm

Title: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: D. Tiller on October 18, 2007, 01:04:58 pm
Well, I have to admit I have not broken a bow yet!  How come everyone seems to have broken one except for me? I'm starting to feal left out here!!!  >:( ;D

David T

PS: That should get some attention!!!  >:D
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: Pappy on October 18, 2007, 01:28:00 pm
Thats a good left out.Hang in there it will come sooner or later.I don't know how many I have broke but it has been several over the years.Not so bad lately but I know as well as I am setting here it will happen again. ;) ;D It is like when I bushhog the farm I know somewhere sometime
I will hit a yellow jackets nest just don't know when or where and am supprized when it happens. :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: Hillbilly on October 18, 2007, 01:31:14 pm
Don't worry, you will. Maybe you could try sawing halfway through it with a fine-toothed hacksaw blade just before pulling it to full draw the first time.

Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: deerhunter97370 on October 18, 2007, 01:31:44 pm
Maybe its our Northwest weather, because I havent broke one either. But my hasnt been over 20#.
Joel
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: D. Tiller on October 18, 2007, 03:53:34 pm
I will be making my first 80-90# bow soon. Dont know how it will come out but it could be the first to go spectacularly booming on me! Three lams of Hickory a 1/4 thick each and one board of Sappelle for the belly wood. Dont know if it will work but I hope so!

David T
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: bluegill on October 18, 2007, 05:32:52 pm
I'm 1 of 1 at the moment. Broke my first board bow while tillering and i've completed another board bow. Right now I'm staying busy cutting and drying osage, hackberry, and elm. We'll see how things go.
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: Dane on October 18, 2007, 05:46:02 pm
You are asking for trouble with this post :) I was bragging this summer about never being stung, and a yellowjacket got me minutes later. I broke on during tillering last year, pretty spectacular explosion it was, too.

Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: david w. on October 18, 2007, 06:11:41 pm
 I have never broke a bow but  have only made 1 ;)
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: Justin Snyder on October 18, 2007, 07:01:46 pm
Well, I have to admit I have not broken a bow yet!  How come everyone seems to have broken one except for me? I'm starting to feal left out here!!!  >:( ;D

David T

PS: That should get some attention!!!  >:D
You have to make them to break them.  ::)  ;D Justin
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: DanaM on October 18, 2007, 08:09:18 pm
Murphy's law will get ya when you least expect it and of course now that you made the statement you are surely doomed,
better start wearing a hardhat and eye protection ;)
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: Mark Smeltzer on October 18, 2007, 08:12:18 pm
I went for my first 10-15  bows without breaking one then it seems like I could't make a bow to save my life. I had a couple vaporize at full draw, left my ears ringing for a while. The last few years I haven't broken any.  It comes and goes.

Mark
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: tradrick on October 18, 2007, 08:50:52 pm
Well I've finally gotten started on the board bows I've been planning on building.Just got in from floor tillering the first one.Doing with hand tools have'nt invested in a bandsaw just yet.But its next on the list.I've got 3 to make for my wife and 2 daughters.A buddy came by yesterday and seen my osage and is intrested in getting one.And another friend from work wants 5.One for himself,his wife and there 3 sons.I wonder how many I'll break before I get that many good ones?I'm starting out on board bows to learn more as I go.Wish me luck.tradrick
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: Dane on October 18, 2007, 09:32:45 pm
Murphy's law will get ya when you least expect it and of course now that you made the statement you are surely doomed,
better start wearing a hardhat and eye protection ;)

Dana, the explosion will be so great, I will hear it here in New England :)

Come to think of it though, I am going to get a hard hat and a face shield for two in-progress projects, the two seige engines I am building. Armor as well when I finally test the scorpion. You can never be too careful, and catastrophic failure could be lethel until I have proven the machines.

Fun stuff, isn't it? :)
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: George Tsoukalas on October 18, 2007, 09:35:20 pm
:)
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: Ryano on October 19, 2007, 12:14:13 am
If your not breaking any then your not pushing the limits of your materials....I could say the same thing if all I ever built was over built longbows. :P Breaking is just part of what makes this bow building fun and interesting. If it were really that easy everyone would do it. ;)
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: 1/2primitive on October 19, 2007, 01:08:15 am
Maybe you're just smarter than the rest of us.  :P ::)
     Sean :)
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: Marc St Louis on October 19, 2007, 08:59:12 am
There was a time many years ago when I could say the same thing. Ahhh the good old days :)
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: D. Tiller on October 19, 2007, 04:24:46 pm
Almost broke one last night! Well, came a bit close. The bottom limb on the bow I'm building for my mother took a hinge to it as I started tillering. So had to take wood off in all other areas and reduce the other limb to even things out. Unfortunatly the bottom limb now has a bit more set than the upper limb. Darn it!

Seems each time I make a laminated longbow I end up with some set in the limbs. It's usually about and 1" - 1 1/2" but this one came out to about almost 2" on the bottom limb and a 1" on the top. Seems to shoot well though at a draw length of 26" and 45#. This should be about a full warbow drawlength for my mother. Though she is making me place an arrow shelf on it and a wrapped handle. Cant get her to use her index finger as an arrow rest for some reason?!?!

David T
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: venisonburger on October 20, 2007, 01:02:42 am
It'll happen, especially now that you jinxed yourself by saying it. These are a few of my failures

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Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: Mike_A on October 20, 2007, 05:46:57 am
Hey VB I think you got the wrong post. This one is about broken bows not primitive jig saw puzzles.  :D ;D ;D Oh I kill myself sometimes. Ya'll have a good day. Mike
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: makete on October 20, 2007, 09:44:23 am
Pick-up sticks?????????? :o :o :o
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: venisonburger on October 21, 2007, 02:15:36 am
Theres a whole pile of swear words laying there. But alot of knowledge gained too.

VB
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: George Tsoukalas on October 21, 2007, 10:02:57 am
Ole Jawge once said, " If you ain't breakin' you ain't makin'!" I've taken heat over that statement but it's true. Broken bows are inevitable even for my mentor- Bob Holzhauser formerly of Silver Arrow Archery-now out of business.  I walked in his shop and saw a broken osage bow. I was surprised. All he said was that it happens. He is the best osage bowyer i've ever known. Bar none. If he breaks one now and then lesser bowyers like me can expect to break them more often. Ryan is right on. Push limits  either with design or character staves and you will break one now and then. Jawge
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: Dane on October 21, 2007, 11:29:10 am
This is true for life in general. Making mistakes and failing is how we learn and grow. I think a universal trait with bow makers is the willingness to experiment, take risks, and not give up when you screw up.
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: wolfsire on October 21, 2007, 04:36:31 pm
Just broke one this morning >:(  It was supposed to be for my wife :(

Last time I will do a panda bow with only 3 canes.

(http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/wolfsirebella/vol2011.jpg)
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: D. Tiller on October 21, 2007, 05:41:13 pm
Panda bow? Whats that? Well, as theys say "Thems the breaks!"  >:D  Nice try though.
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: wolfsire on October 21, 2007, 06:23:05 pm
Panda bow=bundle bow out of bamboo ;)
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: D. Tiller on October 22, 2007, 09:33:39 pm
"I see!" said the blind man to his deaf daughter!  ;D
Title: Re: Never broke a bow yet!
Post by: MattE on October 23, 2007, 08:57:01 am
I like George's first repy,":)".
When I started I never broke a bow. I was using green wood and over building them ,I finally learned ow to break one, I meant several. :)