Built my BBI form..didn't work

[Zradix]

....yes...   :rolleyes: ....1 other viper and a really old darton...1989 model I think.

[takefive]

My first wheel bow was an early 80's Darton 45K.  I didn't shoot it for years, just hung onto it for sentimental reasons.  Last year I took it apart, made a couple of brackets for the limb pockets and bolted Sage recurve limbs to the old Darton riser cuz it is 17", same as a Sage.  It's a snappy shooter.  Of course it's literally gathering dust again since I've been making bows, but I'm sure I'll be shooting it again sometime.  Sorry to get off topic; I have nothing but good memories when it comes to Darton bows :-)

[scars]

Sorry to see this happen to you. From looking at your pictures you have posted before tillering. And I may be totally wrong but I don't think I see what you see. I have broke a few hickory and or bamboo backed Ipe during tillering. First If you look at the picture of your tip on I think page 14 you will see severe grain run out if that follows down the length of your limb and with the fact that you commented that you had reduced thickness to 5/16" and the white veins that are visible plus the limb weakness stated at the start of tillering. I think you had wind checks filled with sap or resin from the tree trying to heal it self during its life cycle. The last picture you show certainly looks like Ipe to me, if the wood smelled like a chocolate licorice coffee sorta smell while sanding it was Ipe. Basically I think it was delamming (checking) along the grain runout. Either way it spells doom for the bow slat. I would bend it backwards to see how it breaks inspect what the grain does. I have a lot of experience with wood but I have only been making bows since Christmas 2012. I don't know much about bows so read this with a grain of salt.    

Luck
Joe