My first BBO of the winter I finished up 2 weeks ago, it came out very sweet. I had two more bows glued up just like the first bow. Both of those bows while tillering, developed a hair line crack on the outside edge of the osage, about 14 inches from the tip. Both developed the same crack with in 1 inch of each other, had to be a bad piece of Osage, they both were 1/4 sawn billets. Then I glued up a Hickory and backed it with boo. Took it out of the clamps and was going to cut her out and noticed a 9 inch long hair line crack running down the back of the boo. Some days it doesn't pay to head to the bow shop.
But I just grabbed another piece of Osage and started another bow. This is the problem working with wood and boo I guess. I'll get bows out of these 3 that cracked, but they will be kids bows. Can't see wasting them when I can make some kids day with a free bow.
Any of you guys ever have a streak of bad bow luck in the shop? I hope that's mine for the winter..
Sorry to hear about you string of luck.
Merry Christmas,
Kelly
I had a streak of bad luck mid summer. It's definitey frustrating, especially when you've put so much work in up to the point of failure. Good luck, hope the streak passes quickly!
I had a run like that last year , but it was with the boo,giving me problems.
A couple years ago I was attempting a hickory backed ipe bow. Well out of three tries, I ended up with one light weight bow. The other two were used as fire pokers.
I love all wood bows but they sure do tax a fella when they don't work out as planned. Right now my time is spent on some fg recurves for longevity but the staves are still waiting for me to get back to them at some point.
Had a HBO explode on me last week, I feel your pain. I did the same thing, grabbed another piec of wood and started again.
roy id had a silamer plm a year or so ago finnaly figured they were wind checks tinny one ya couldnt see em but osage does that hope ya have better luck soon merry x mas brock
yeah man , i been there. like everyone says , you just get a new piece and move on...
-hov
I just came upon this site and I feel like someone from AA. What I mean I thought it was like I was alone. I have had most of my bows either break (blow up) or just were slugs.Most of my friends don't make their own and kinda poke fun at me. My aim for the new year is make a bow and shoot a deer with a wood arrow and stone point. I won't give up.
I am right smack dab in the middle of a run of bad myself. I been finding all kinds of cracks and splits. That stuff hides until you've done put a bunch of work into and then you see it. Superglue works wonders.
just to welcome awish , i have a 51" pyramid that i figured at worst would be a 20lb rehab bow for my father-in-law, im now thinking that the last thing i need is for him to break it and knock himself out...know what i mean?
so now my plan is to back it with a piece of hickory , with a pyramid to molle tips extending out about another 5 inches...past where the belly stops...get it?
even if the damn thing breaks , ill learn something...maybe...
Welcome Dennis.
What are you guys thoughts on flat sawn compared to 1/4 sawn wood for bows? All I ever use is 1/4 sawn.