Chances are that the red oak you got was kiln dried and kiln dried wood is more brittle when it comes to heat bending (dry/steam/boil). That's not to say it can't be done it definately can. You may find that a lot of the shapes you heat into a self board bow may pull out during tillering so that's another thing to bear in mind. If you can get a thin lamination cut you could bend your main piece to a fancy shape and then glue a backing strip onto it. This will help you keep your reflex/shape.
A few tips for bending - soak your wood for a few days for extreme bends. Round all tension edges well. Dry heat for small bends, then steam for medium bends then boiling for sharper bends. Use a steel strap for the very sharpest bends. Ideally work the tension side to one growth ring.
