First bow explosion! Am i a bowyer now?

John Malone · January 18, 2018, 08:32:00 AM

Ok gotcha, I cut this right above the break

Roy from Pa · January 18, 2018, 08:35:00 AM

Yup, that's not good..

John Malone · January 18, 2018, 08:36:00 AM

Hasn't been an issue so far, guess it may have become one. why do you think that is?

Roy from Pa · January 18, 2018, 08:40:00 AM

Stuff happens..

Sooner or later it was bound to bite ya in the rear end..

John Malone · January 18, 2018, 08:40:00 AM

All ive done to hickory is glue a riser. Ill carve on the ends and see how it works. That area will be removed when I taper it any way.

Pat B · January 18, 2018, 08:43:00 AM

John, wood breaks along grain lines unless rotted. You can see the grain in the break. This can be a problem with sawn lumber because the grain isn't consider as a log is sawn.

John Malone · January 18, 2018, 08:49:00 AM

Pat, are you referring to my square edges causing the break? I know its to prevent lifting a splinter then running down the grain and turning into what I had. Or are ya saying stuff happens? Was this preventable?

Roy from Pa · January 18, 2018, 09:10:00 AM

With wooden bows, you just never know. That's why it's best to use good wood and design them right and then hope for the best.

BMorv · January 18, 2018, 09:29:00 AM

My 1st bow was a red oak bow. It was beautiful and shot great. On about arrow 300 it decided to explode almost in the same spot as yours. After that scare I moved more towards backed bows. I find red oak unbacked board bows don't "last" as well as others and are prone to explosion. That's just my findings.

Did you mention that you heat treated the back of the bow? I haven't done all that much heat treating but I believe that's a no no.

John Malone · January 18, 2018, 09:30:00 AM

Kinda like getting married then?

John Malone · January 18, 2018, 09:34:00 AM

BMorv I didn't heat much been reading about and following Marc St louis on that. He has lots of post online also wrote for the TBB. Don't think ill treat this hickory but she is going to be a beauty. Not posting anything until its done. Going to take everyone's advice then push the envelope until I figure out how far is to far. Its how I learn best. lol

Forwardhandle · January 18, 2018, 09:35:00 AM

Sorry to here that John, dont feel bad part of the game, but I have never had good luck with red oak boards in my area to dry & brittle you shouldnt have that issue with hickory never had a hickory stave or board out right breake, had them pull splinters but fixed and still shootable it loves heat treating ,on average a good solid heat treat will increase the bow weight about 8 lb in my exsperience, hickory makes a great bow if done right !

John Malone · January 18, 2018, 09:38:00 AM

Yellowwood, that bow was over #55 which ive heard is pushing it for red oak. Now I know, may have been a factor? This hickory looks good so were going to go for it.

Roy from Pa · January 18, 2018, 09:38:00 AM

Advice, hickory absorbs moisture like a sponge. So when not working on it, store it someplace dry.

January 18, 2018, 10:33:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by John Malone:
Thanks Roy, glued my riser on the Hickory in the house. Going to make a new stringer tonight like you're talking about got plenty of leather.
Shredd, ive never had an issue with tight bond. I went through the things that i could blame it own but im going to call this operator eror and blame the bowyer.
Bvas, I had plenty of time just wasn't paying attention to the details so your probably right. Some one told me you couldn't be successful till ya broke a few. Maybe because the lessons we learn the hard way stick with us.

LOL... I was not saying that you wee using the wrong adhesive... I said that I was... Basically I am saying stick with it and don't let it get you down...

John Malone · January 18, 2018, 10:47:00 AM

Shredd, I didn't think that. Ya never mentioned what you were using. What was it so ill know not to try it.
Roy, this one will follow me in and out of the shop to the house. I'm using kerosene in the shop so its a dry heat but its wet out side and blah blah blah so who knows ill just keep it inside. I use a humidifier in the house during winter should be good. But what do I know?

Pat B · January 18, 2018, 11:04:00 AM

The grain running down the back isn't the only grain in a board. If the grain on the back is perfectly straight from tip to tip but the side grain runs off top to bottom the bow can break there. Trying to find a board with good grain both top and side can drive you nuts but for a durable board bow it is a necessity.
In the third pic down in the blow up post some grain runs lengthwise along the limb but the break is diagonal across the limb and that break is along that grain. You can see the lengthy wood fibers.

John Malone · January 18, 2018, 12:01:00 PM

I gotcha Pat. Some of that stuff ive been buying was questionable but couldn't help myself. Going to put more effort into finding better wood and restraining myself. I guess you can make chicken sh#$ look like chicken salad but its still sh^&.

Roy from Pa · January 18, 2018, 12:09:00 PM

If you find a 6' board that has nice straight grain on half of it and crappy on the other half. You could saw two narrower boards out of the good half, then Z splice those together to get a stave.

skeaterbait · January 18, 2018, 12:17:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by John Malone:
why do you think that is?

In my mind I see it this way,the more squared your edge the finer the point of any run offs you may have. That creates a very small point of failure, a tiny splinter. But as you experienced, the rate in which that small point increases to POW can be pretty much instantaneous.

If you round the edges more, that fine point gets wider, and if there is anything Pontiac taught us, it's "wider is better".