New guys first bow-harsh criticism please

[Don Case]

Over drawing causes set, chrysalls  or breakage. Jawge

It is definitely taking a set. What are chrysalls? I think I will recognize breakage.
Don

[Zion]

You could try heat treating. if you heat treat it lightly a few times it will do wonders, probably won't have any set when your done. make sure not to try to reflex the limbs too much at once or it will chrysal because the belly fibers are used to bending the other way. Tiller looks great, well if it didn't it would be broke haha! Chrysals are little cracks that appear on the belly if it is overstressed, but there's a few other reasons they can appear as well.

[Weylin]

Chrysalls are also known as compression fractures. They appear as faint, lines that run across the belly. They happen when the wood can't handle being compressed anymore so a small fissure forms where the cells are collapsing. That's my understanding, anyway. They are bad news and often spell doom for a bow though there are drastic measures that can be taken to alleviate them. If they are localized then they show that the bow was poorly tillered and if they are spread evenly along the whole bow then it shows a design problem.

My opinion is that you not only asked too much of that bow but you also weren't able to distribute the bend evenly enough. the outer limbs aren't doing their share. I'd chalk it up to experience and get started on your next one. Good luck and have fun.

[Joec123able]

Yep chrysals can be seen by holding the limbs up to a bright light what they are is tiny little lines that indicate slight compression failure it's basically Little collapses on the belly

[Don Case]

Yup, I've got a few  chrysalls. On both limbs and right where it bent too much when I overbent it. Looks like this bow is finished. I learned a lot. Next one will be better. Meanwhile I'll practice with it til it breaks.
Thanks for all the info and help
Don 

[Pappy]

Lots of bend in that baby, I agree that you can get a short stick to bend out to 26/27/28 cause some here have done it but as a rule and especially for beginners
I use ,double the draw I want + the non bending area for a fairly safe build. Bending handle double the draw is pertty safe. As far as the bark cracking,I have never had much luck leaving it on,it always cracks after a while,I always take the bark off on any bows I am building,of course I have never used OS so can't say for sure on that.

[Don Case]

When a bow breaks, is it usually the back or the belly that causes it? Or is the jury still out?
Don

[Weylin]

I'd say that technically the bow almost always breaks at the back. That being said, the belly can fail in a way that forces the back to break. You can also have the bow crack and break in the middle of the limb, between the back and the belly. But I'd say that a good rule of thumb is that if the bow really and truly breaks then it was a failure in tension (the back) and if the bow takes excessive set or chrysals then it was a failure in compression (the belly). But that's a bit of an oversimplification.

[Zion]

The outer limbs are doing plenty of work. it just looks like the fades are doing more work because of the extreme bend. Look at each limb seperately.

You did a great job of the tillering, all you have to do is get a little longer piece. Great work tho.

[Don Case]

The outer limbs are doing plenty of work. it just looks like the fades are doing more work because of the extreme bend. Look at each limb seperately.

You did a great job of the tillering, all you have to do is get a little longer piece. Great work tho.

Thank you Zion, I appreciate that. If there was a way to speed up the seasoning of the staves I collected 2 weeks ago I would be tillering instead of typing.
Don

[Joec123able]

I agree with Zion you did an awesome job tillering in fact it almost looks perfect to my eye

[Don Case]

Thank you Joe. I was reading a thread about putting a thin layer of ipe on the belly of a bow that had some chrysalls. I had never heard of ipe so I Googled it and discovered that it is also called Brazilian Walnut. Hmmm, I used some of that on one of my model boats. I ripped out a couple of 1/16" or so pieces and glued it on the belly. The glue is drying right now. I can start tillering tomorrow afternoon!
Thanks again
Don

[Zion]

that might solve your problem, if your glue holds the only problem that COULD happen is for the ipe to overpower the OS, but with the tension strength of OS i doubt it. Cant wait to see it.

[wood_bandit99]

It looks pretty good. It will be nicer to shoot if you thin the width but leave the last 4" not bending. That way it will have very low handshock. It is a low lb. bow but do that on your next one. No one can ever make just ONE

[Don Case]

that might solve your problem, if your glue holds the only problem that COULD happen is for the ipe to overpower the OS, but with the tension strength of OS i doubt it. Cant wait to see it.

I waited 5 days for the glue to dry and then started tillering again. At 21 inches it was fine. At 22 I got a chrysal on each limb, one just outside the fade and the other at about halfway out. I wish I had marked where the original chrysals were. I would guess that the OS overpowered the Ipe or that the Ipe was a crappy board. Anyway I'm now stuck waiting for my new staves to season and my wife has an exotic garden stake.