Aaarrggghh!!!!!!! Snapped my first bow

[Salix]

Started making my first attempt at a bow last week, was moving along fine.......got a nice peice if Ash from the one of my woods........cleaved it into shape..................planed it....................sanded it....................loved it...............cared for it...................tillered it a bit here and there..................left it for the weekend, came back in monday and couldn't resist fiddling with it even though I had no time, put it on the tillering board, pulled it.....................stretched it..........................BANG!!


No w back to the drawing board................................................

If i could post a picture i'me sure it would be worth a giggle to a few out there

Mark

 

[charley beale]

Commiserations Mark (did make me smile because just like you i can't resist tweaking and fiddling with things even when they are blatantly finished!) You have to start another immediately.

 

[lits]

thats just bad luck, it happens though.....

 

[stuart f]

Bad luck mate,i now how you feel,i snapped my second bow just last week luckily it was'nt as far as the tillering stage when it happened. But i was'nt to down hearted as i have another 4 nice Ash staves ready in the wings to start anew. I am now using the broken bow as hearth boards for fire by friction,so i'm still getting use out of something that went awry.

 

[Lithril]

I know that feeling very well, I spent hours making a bow at the last moot, it shot beautifully, got it home and restrung it, it split near the top....

Commiserations mate, just look forward to making the next one

 

[jdlenton]

i broke my moot bow the other day too arr well just going to have to make another one now


James

 

[stovie]

Horrible...frustrating...I have no doubt it will happen to me soon...

Out of interest, how far did you draw it when it snapped? Was there an obvious weak spot where it broke?

The lesson is a salient one for all of us that indulge in this pastime...don't fiddle when you haven't got the time...you just rush and over do it.

My comiserations...better luck next time.

 

[Lithril]

I don't think I spent long enough tillering mine, next time I'll spend a lot longer at each step. Another point that I don't htink helped is that mine wasn't as smoothe as it could have been, I was so keen to start shooting arrows from it that I didn't sand quite as much as it should have been, this left some of the grain raised near the nocking point and this is where it split.

 

[Salix]

Cheers guys,

I supose it's just a marker in my journey

I drew it about 16 or 17 inches, i was looking at a flat spot and was going to shave a smijin off, about an inch down from the break I have just found a small knot in the wood, so it's just down to bad luck Oh well, making plans to start another this weekend :yelrotflm

Here's the disaster for all to see

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e121/marktheminx/bow002.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e121/marktheminx/bow001.jpg

 

[Robbo]

Rangerman, when you look at the break on the back of the bow, does the fracture seem to go straight down at right angles to the back for a couple of growth rings (maybe just a millimetre or two) and then slope off at an angle to the belly side.

If it does (and its a big if) then it broke in tension and it may be worth considering backing the remaining staves with Silk or Linen.

I ask as I had a bow break this way on me and the fracture(s) look similar to yours (though I've still to find a few pieces of mine still, BOOOM! )

Another consideration is the moisture content of the wood, if its too dry, its brittle and breaks, too wet and the bow takes too much set, around 10% is optimum though this depends greatly on the wood.

Andy

 

[Infragreen]

I gave my nephew a cute little willow longbow (shortbow, actually, but not in his view).

He had just come out of the cast after a broken right lower arm and was reluctant to use it, so the bow came as a godsend.

Now he was using that right one like never before.

But here's the bummer: At a family gettogether, after a few kindergarten clouts, when I was unstringing his bow,--- CRACK!

First and foremost, find the li'l tyke, apologize, promise etc...

He took it right on the chin, bless him. If you didn't see it, you wouldn't have known it happened. Respect!

Of course I made sure to put a replacement in my car as soon as I got back to the moors, and sure enough... Next time we met, his mum reminded him to ask me.

And of course, I had a replacement in the car, just for him.

Boohoohoo! And now for the bowyers...

This was a clean case of compression failure. There were several canyons on the belly.

Next time I make a willow bow, it'll be a flatbow, maybe even with flax or nettle along the back.

AND I will try out a mixture of gelatin, water and linseed oil for the glue, just to waterproof it.

PT. Working on my 3rd bambow.

 

[John Havard]

I can't remember how many self bows I've broken. Too many, that's for sure. Each broken one is an opportunity for learning. Patience is the key (at least for me) when it comes to building self bows. Let the wood tell you what it's willing to do. None of us can make wood do what it doesn't want to do. Good moisture control (judicious use of a dry box to keep wood moisture content down) is essential when tillering. Anyway, we're all in this bow-building process for the fun and challenge, right? Plus, it's a damned good excuse for having an extra bubbly or two after we break one! John

 

[shadow57]

Hello...Its a terrible feeling when they go BANG...but don't be put off....

Looking at your photo ...I was a bit concerned about the profile of you bow it looked a bit chunky....Did you do any floor tillering with the bow....what measurements are you using....(sorry...its just me being fussy) do you have any book references to work from..

Don't be scared to give the bow some rough stuff....Get the bow tillered ...then you can pretty it up later on...

Don't be to fussy just now...just get into it...

I use a spoke shave to do the whole process standing up.... and can rip down a stave in one hour ready for tillering..

If you need a hand ...I live just down the road from you in Glossop...I can arrange a demo if you want any weekend

Cheers John

 

[PhilParry]

Isn't there a saying that a bow is a stick nine-tenths broken?

You're just a perfectionist that's all!!

Keep trying....the rewards will be worth it I'm sure.... :You_Rock_

 

[Salix]

Cheers Shadow 57,

I made the bow out of a piece of ash from one of our woods, it's the first attempt so yes a bit crude, i did intend to get it a bit thinner, but as I said, i just couldn't leave it.
A demo would be good, in fact a PM is on it's way!
Mark