how many till you got a shooter/ crack ?s

[knap_123]

ok guys, i'm getting frustrated here. i've ruined more wood than i care to share and still have not made a decent bow by myself!  recently i keep messing up trying to  get  a twist out  or  bend a tip.  everytime i  heat a limb up  i get cracks  running up my limbs.   is the wood still green?  its osage, 6 mths.  old,  and dry heat.  i think i no the answer  but  give it to me.  and  how many bows  did you guys  ruin till you got  a shooter?  i'm up to about 8 or so.

[radius]

just keep making them, dude, they will get better and better

[woodstick]

i still got the first bow i made. but i have broke a few. dont stop.

[TheWildCat]

I broke 3 bows before I got a shooter. Than 2 more before the next shooter. Then next one was a shooter as well. Then I started tryin different types of bows. I get more shooters than I break now, but still have one once in a while. Keep on buildin and learnin. It will all come together.

[Parnell]

I broke about 8 before I had one that I felt was reliable.  I had a couple of successes in there but they had chrysaled and were just very blah.

My two cents:  If you haven't made a successful bow yet, I'd start out with something more simple than trying to recurve tips and chase rings.  I consider myself to be basically brand new at this going on 8 months.  The best thing to happen to me was to turn to hickory 2x4s at a hardwood dealer.  It has provided me with a chance to make bows and learn a lot of the key processes without getting frustrated and being able to enjoy the finish work and ultimately shooting.  I don't yet have the luxury of staves but I've had a blast with the hickory boards.

Good luck!

[FVR]

I went backwards.  My first try at a hickory board bow turned out very good.  Still have it downstairs and bring it out to shoot now and then.  But after that, I'll bet I busted over 20 diff. bows.  I busted hickory, oak, elm, black locust, black walnut, you name it, I broke it. Maple, I broke more maple bows.

This was back in the mid 90's and all I had to go from it Laubin's Indian Archery book.  Then I found the bibles, also Murray Gaskins had a site with directions, oh, and Prim. Archer mag. had the bow building issues.  I got all of them, cut out the bow building part and made my own book.  

Still have the cut outs and ref. them along with the bibles and yes, I still ref. Laubin.  Lately though I've just clicked over to Jawge's site.  Been building bows since 95 and sometimes still feel like a greenhorn.

You'll get it and then you will make a good run on bows.  Then you'll break a few then you will get back on board. LOL. Or stave.

[kayakfisher]

I broke to many of them but when you do get one it makes it even sweeter. Depending on if the crack running up it runs off the side or not it may still be good. One that I made devoloped a small drying check or crack but it runs vertical with the limb for a couple of inches. Shoots good no problems hunted two years and will use it again this year still going strong. post a picture of the crack in the limb and lets have a look.
                                            Dennis

[radius]

parnell's right:  hickory is a very forgiving and pretty cheap wood to make bows with.  BUT it tends to collapse in compression.  For me, it's a backing strip material:  easy to work, tight grain.  

You need some successes under your belt, but build the bow you want to build.  I broke a whole bunch and then made a 60" red oak recurve that was really powerful and fast.  I don't even know how fast, or the draw weight, because i didn't have a scale.   Don't be shy about taking on challenging projects.  They build your skill level.  But get some successes under your belt:  wouldn't be a bad idea to start with some hickory 2x4's.
 

[radius]

if you get a vertical crack or a crack in a knot, just put liquid CA in there.  Done deal.

[yazoo]

sounds to me like the wood is still to green, does your wood have a coat of shellac on? 6 months wont dry osage unless it was thinned down first, to allow it to dry quicker,,  I always coat stave with shellac wheather wet or dry,I will thin down my osage and make a blank, shellac it heat straighten it, put it up for a year,  straighten some more then make a bow,   a big thick osage stave set back for 6months is still very green.

[El Destructo]

I am with Woodstick....still have my first three I made....but have broken some since I decided to make them more Fancy than practical....I still feel the simpler the better...JMO

[Pat B]

If you are working with osage listen to Yazoo. He has dealt with more osage trees and staves and bows than almost all of us put together. Just because a stave feels dry doesn't mean it is. If it checked when you heated it, it was too green(wet). You can force dry osage that has been reduced to almost bow size but nothing beats natural drying over a period of time for a durable stave and bow.
  You seem to be complicating the bow building process and frustrating yourself. Start simple!!! Make a simple flat bow and learn how to tiller and what proper tiller looks like. Once you achieve this you can experiment with other styles and configurations. You have to learn to crawl before you can learn to walk!
  Read Jawge's site! Take his advice and get yourself a good board(also following George's advice) and get started with your next bow. Bring all your questions(with pics) back and we will walk (or crawl if that's the case) you towards a successful bow.

[El Destructo]

What did I say above....huum....See even the Old Bearded Geezer has to agree with Me......... .........

....I still feel the simpler the better...JMO

[adb]

 

[Gordon]

If the wood is checking after heating it's too green.  My first solo bow was a shooter. I broke the next five before I got another one.