my little breakdown...

[hova]

so last i updated everyone , number 2 white oak board bow , was coming along. the handle had just been glued up when i posted last time , and i was going to put up some pics.

so heres the pics...

all glued up...there was a gap where i had been shooting a bit , and the arrows took the side off...
 

 

here it is on the tree... i believe this is 18 or 19" ...
 

and heres the handle after about 5 hours of filing/rasping ... i know the contour is amateur , but i didnt want to take too much off at first..of course the wife said it fit perfectly...
 

...string alignment...
 

...frontal view...
 

to be continued...

[Rattus58]

When you said breakdown, I was thinking of what I might be lookin forward to.... but instead I find a really nice looking bow... Hope my "breakdowns" are as benign as yours.....    

Much Aloha....  

[KellyG]

Hova,
You scared me for a minute, I thought you broke on. Thank goodness you did not. Looks good to me but I dont know nothing.

[hova]

sorry ,pic limit is 8...

...finished bow...
 
 
 
 


so yeah , basically same thing the first one did. this one blew apart in a spectacular manner though , and may have either been caused by the pulley knot coming undone , shooting the bow off the tree , and possibly causing a crack i didnt see , OR...

i just pulled to soon too hard...


Long story short , i went back to the lumber yard , and picked up some white oak . one piece 4"wide x about 65" long , and two 1x2 pieces , same length , turns out to be 37$. the last time i bout a 7' "white" oak , and it was only 7.77 ... quartersawn , also.  basically the guy tells me that i had red oak if thats what i paid.

so now two red oak board bows down , i convinced the wife a Shur-form was a good investment , unless she wants a lot of firewood. about 6 hours later , i have a bend handle bow , about 65" ntn iirc , and love it. it shoots great off the hand, and seems a lot lighter pull than the last.

now all i need is a rattail or chainsaw file. i have been using a half round sort of deal , and was having trouble with slip-offs , so i ended up taking a bit more out of them , to get the string to stay on. i may pike it , just because the knocks looks like crap.

ill get some pics up tonight , promise.


thanks to everyone who helped!

-hov

[KellyG]

Sorry I know your pain.

[hova]

the first one i want so worried ,but this one sucked...

[Pat B]

That is the side grain run off that George Tsoukalas is always preaching about. It is not only the grain on the back and belly that needs to be straight without or few runoffs but those sides too.
  Sorry your bow broke but time to move on and remember why this one broke!

[DVSHUNTER]

sorry for your loss. Build on.

[hova]

I need to read up I guess,cause I just don't get how you taper into the grain without causing runoff...

anyone have a clear image of runoff?

[fish n chicks]

Hova, first thing i'd suggest is radiussing your limb's edges more. It looks like they're pretty square still, which will help your existing runouts explode on you. In fact, I don't even radius the belly's edges while tillering, cause I find myself shaving and scraping and sanding it, then I have to re-round the corners. So spend your time on the beck's edges, and try to get them to a 3/16" roundover. Depending on your draw weight and limb thickness, i'd vary that from 1/8" roundover to 1/4".

In the image below, you will see a clear example of runout in this board bow's cherry limbs. The left side of the limb shows a great example of both your grain runout, and where heartwood meets sapwood. I did get lucky, kinda, with this bow, as it is my favorite home made bow.

     

What I have found to be the best choice of grain in oak bows, looks like this:

   


As you can see, you don't get those rounded grains at your edges. It's nothing you can really work out of the bow without compromising the bow's integrity. At least, I haven't figured out a way how.

Hope these example help, and keep at it. You will find yourself giving them away so you can keep making more!