Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: sleek on May 22, 2015, 10:23:38 pm
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So im curious how often you guys ( especially the more experienced guys ) have one break on you. Also what is the biggest cause for why they break? Tiller, wood quality, pushing the limits intentionally? About how many out of say, 10, do you have break?
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I usually break one a year. I may make a dozen one year and two dozen the next year but one break a year is typical. Usually an unexpected flaw in the wood.
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None so far. Have made 8 since last may. I'm sure I'm due.
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Joe you must be either better or less daring than I. I have broken 4 in the last year--all but one were questionable staves to begin with. Only one really went boom.
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Broke 2 in the last 2 months. The reason the last one broke was a weak handle, it basically broke dead center. The previous one was bad tiller and design. Overall I'm 3 bows ahead and working on another. I have carved out a couple short saplings that broke, then again possibly tiller :o but I use that term loosely, to much pith and not enough meat. Doing this over 3 years at odd times. Its only recently that I work out in the shop 4-5 days a week.
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100%... cuz i dont know what im doing apparently xDhaha
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With decent wood, it's been pretty rare (1 in 10 maybe). Every once in awhile one goes boom. It's when I play with questionable wood that things change. I went on a sassafras kick one year and produced a whole lot of firewood. ;)
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It's been a few years. Last one was a sinew backed juniper.....should've used one more layer of sinew.....that one really did go BOOOMMMMM!
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It's like busses...
None for ages then 3 come along at once.
Last one two were decayed wood.
One before that was pushing it...(well pulling it really) too far. I forgot it was tillered to 26" and drew it to 28 ::).
It was fine for half a second >:D
Say 1 in 10
Del
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I don't build very many bows a year but have only had one blow on me , I have a few set back that need a little attention before they do blow from a flaw in the wood , just need to sinew wrap a spot or two on them before I go any further .
The one that did blow was from a combination of tiller ( stiff spot right out of a fade ) and unfamiliar with the wood ( chittamwood , now I know to scrape the soft layer off the back and go a little big with the profile ) , I've been pushing some osage lately on some mollies so another blowup may be coming soon , got a 55" TTT going and going to be a little heavy with flipped tips , only going to have a 26" draw but the tips may lay 2 1/2" forward like the last one , pin knots on both limbs are my main concern .
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Breaking bows is part of the process, like Del said you never know. I can trace most of my breaks to questionable wood, some from extra long draw length guys shooting the bows and some are anybodies guess.
I would guess that one out ten of my bows broke early on, one out of twenty later on when I learned to avoid questionable wood. I haven't broken one in years now but don't crank them out like I once did.
As for spectacular bow failures, I have had three that I remember that turned into shrapnel. All of my other failures were a crack that got worse and put a bow out of action.
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I've made nearly 30 and haven't made one go boom yet.
BUT, When one is heading south I throw it in the corner and grab another stave.
There's a "few" in that corner. Plus I use mostly yew and it's very forgiving
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I am very careful, and very slow. I have messed up 2 kids bows, but it was obvious as soon as I made the mistake on those. So I guess you can say that I have a 20% failure rate. Also, my only Osage bow is not fun to shoot. It is far too heavy.
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Not many booms but lots of badly bents. The few booms I did have were spectacular, though! 8)
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I don't consider broken bows as a measure of success or failure. Using compromised staves can result in broken bows. I would rather think about how many bows have I screwed up that too much set, or how many recurves did I overheat or bend wrong and crack. I like to think of bows as having a grade attached to them based largely on performance and other characteristics such as alignment, handshock, asthetics etc. If a bow gets below a c it is not a good bow, if it gets an f it is a fail.
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I never could have guessed how explosive the experience actually is. I figured maybe some fair warning in the way of splinters or something. I made a yew bow few weeks ago that violently exploded on both sides of the handle at the same time; It happens quick and with furry. I saw the hinges but I shot it at least 50 times, figured they weren't horrible, and the yew should take it at such low poundage. I was wrong.
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I have tried to make 18 bows and have had 6 explosions. Two kids bows, two r/ d attempts and two adult longbows. I have learned more from the broken ones than from the successes. I have had two explode in my hands as I was drawing them. At least they tend to explode outwards ( or upwards if they are on the tiller tree). I have found that the past failures add to the thrill of finishing a bow and having it shoot.
EDIT: I also have two staves that are questionable I am working on right now - one I have had to use some "forbidden material" on to try to save it as it has a SEVERE grain violation. Even with my attempt to save it it may not make it, but I'll try (and learn) anyways. The second has a huge hinge due to my lack of care on the belt sander (lesson: dont use a belt sander for tillering). I dont expect it to survive.
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I've broken my share and then some. Jawge
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I have two bows out of fifteen that would break if I were to keep shooting them. One developed chrysals and is getting worse, so I retired it. The other had a defect in the wood but I was hoping it would hold together. It'll blow too if someone continues to shoot it. Another bowyer had rejected the stave and I figured I would gamble and give it a go. Guess that's not too bad of a record so far.
And yes, I learn a LOT more from my failures too. Expensive lessons sometime, but valuable.
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Ive attempted about 20 bows and have 12 still shooting. Ive only had 2 blow up but ive had belly checks develop after final tiller, severely hinged limbs, cracked backs during tillering, lifted splinters during layout, man all kinds of failures!
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I have probaly 1 or 2 out of 10 fail. Not all in A spectacular fasion but lift a spinter or somthing too. I like to push the boundries and get a fast smooth bow bow sometimes push it too far. The last tri lam was purely a bad design, I tried one with no deflex and it concentrated too much stress in one area.
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I've had a few over the years
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Like Del said, none for a while then 2 or 3 in a row, usually flawed wood, or as Badger said using border line bow wood , something with lots of character, I use to do that a lot, not so much anymore. :) I usually make a Minnie bow if the wood is questionable now and if it takes the bend test most time I don't have any problems, if it don't I cook brats with it. ;) :) :)
Pappy
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I think if you don't break one once in a while somethings wrong if you push design or try something new it happens, but don't push yourself you stagnate
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It's pretty rare to break a bow unless the wood is flawed or you aren't being patient. Sometimes even if neither one of those occur it still blows up lol :P
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Blown bows at various stages ruined my shot. I can't convince myself to fully draw a bow anymore.
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Ya me also Chris, I still blame my short draw problem on trying to make my first bows out of ERC and didn't know what I was doing to boot, 25 or 30 years ago but still haunts me from time to time. :-\
Pappy
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About 1 in 3 of my bows eventually fail. I'm in the rookie end of the bowyer's spectrum but occasionally produce bows I'm very satisfied with (in terms of performance & speed).
Most of my breaks are due to inexperience with the wood species and the limits of a particular bow design, pushing the limits (and ofthen rediscovering limits others bumped on way back) and outright stupidity (when you hear a tic at full draw, you should stop and back the bow instead of wondering if you'll hear another one at the next full draw :o)
When I break a bow, I do an autopsy: why did it fail and how can I avoid it next time? As long as I can learn a lesson from every broken bow, i don't feel too bad about it.
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I thought I had my first exploder on Sunday. My latest takedown. The top limb wasn't set in the sleeve, it slipped out at 27 inches on the tree. >:D
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I thought I had my first exploder on Sunday. My latest takedown. The top limb wasn't set in the sleeve, it slipped out at 27 inches on the tree. >:D
!
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I only have two spectacular booms so far,one was a rowan mollegabet that i pushed too far (i found what i believe is the last piece this spring when cleaning).
The other was a oak ELB that should have been a broomhandle and not a bow.
That was in the beginning,since then i just suffered a few less spectacular splinters and chrysals (as bad as a boom in my book)
Havent built anything lately due to a hernia,but recovering from the operation now,so this will hopefully see a few bows made ;D
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With around 50 iI#ve made so far, I've broken like 5. But I recognized, as soon as one breaks, another one will break.
Example: I was building an elm takedown, when it broke right during the tillering. I was like: " Okay, great, lets shoot a bit.". So i took an elder bow, stringed itz up, drawed it out an BOOOOM!! another bow exploded ;D
I didnt continue shooting. I'm sure otherwise I would have broken three bows that day :P