Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: cool_98_555 on July 09, 2017, 05:41:35 pm

Title: Failure under rawhide?
Post by: cool_98_555 on July 09, 2017, 05:41:35 pm

Just curious....if the wood (osage) and/or glue fails under the rawhide when coming to full draw, what will happen? Explosion? Severe set?...any experience with this?  Provided that the glue is dry and the rawhide is in great condition.

Title: Re: Failure under rawhide?
Post by: Josh B on July 09, 2017, 06:44:51 pm

I've had it happen twice.  Once with sketchy red elm and once with ERC trunkwood .  Both times the rawhide tore and the bow blew.  Josh

Title: Re: Failure under rawhide?
Post by: bradsmith2010 on July 09, 2017, 07:06:46 pm

never had it happen with osage

Title: Re: Failure under rawhide?
Post by: Pat B on July 09, 2017, 07:33:25 pm

I had an osage selfbow with rawhide backing BLOW!  (--) ... after over drawing it a bit. The bow had over 1000 shot through her and was a heck of a good bow. Next to an ERC bow this was one of the most spectacular explosions I've experienced.   :OK    "A bow fully drawn is 9/10 broken"!
Rawhide will not keep a bow from breaking but it will help hold down possible splinters. The bow above had paper thin rings and lots of pins and when I over drew her, she blew!

Title: Re: Failure under rawhide?
Post by: upstatenybowyer on July 09, 2017, 07:36:37 pm

With osage, if the wood fails, the bow breaks. Not like with other woods, like hickory or HHB which will take excessive set before breaking. I've never had an osage bow EXPLODE. I've had one break, but it was always preceded with a cccrrraaccckkk, then snap. Not like ERC, which just goes KABOOM!

Title: Re: Failure under rawhide?
Post by: cool_98_555 on July 09, 2017, 08:41:40 pm

Wow....kinda scary that a bow can explode or break even through the rawhide backing.  Ive heard of guys getting away with osage with ring violations and no backing but I would never have guessed that an osage bow with a rawhide backing would still explode....wow

Title: Re: Failure under rawhide?
Post by: Stick Bender on July 10, 2017, 03:09:30 pm

I had a raw hide backed osage bow fail like Upstate said craaaack !! the raw hide held it together it didn't explode .

Title: Re: Failure under rawhide?
Post by: Pappy on July 11, 2017, 03:53:09 am

As Pat said Rawhide is not the save all some think, yes it will hold a splinted down but if the bow has some serious flaws it won't keep it from breaking, it might keep it for coming all apart into lots of pieces and hurting you or someone else. ;) :) I use rawhide the same as I do with any backing, as insurance but if the bow has a serious problem I don't bother, it won't save it. JMO. ;) :) for what that is worth. ;)
 Pappy

Title: Re: Failure under rawhide?
Post by: RatherBinTheWoods on July 12, 2017, 08:10:18 am

Del the Cat does an interesting test with a rawhide backed bow here. Enjoy. http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/destruction-test.html