Kaboom!

[Rob W.]

Well, I was hoping to post some success pic soon but she let loose this morning on the tree. I had everything pretty well finished on this rawhide backed osage and decided I wanted a more rounded handle and didn't really care for the finish job.

I fixed the handle and stripped the finish. I decided to recheck tiller with the gizmo and heard a tick close to full draw while exercising.

This piece had super thin rings and I was worried that it seemed pretty dry the whole time. I wish I had a moisture meter.

Great way to start the year.

The tree pic and short draw pic were a few tillering sessions ago.

   

   


   

   

[Crooked Stic]

Ouch--I hate it when that happens.

[jsweka]

Bummer.

I've got a stave with real close rings that I've started and stopped on a couple time.  Now you have to go and show me that glimmer of hope    

[Mike Most]

Arrrrrrrrrgh....... comes to mind...feeling your pain  :eek:

[4est trekker]

Sorry to hear that...that frustrates all of us from time to time.  Where did it break?  Bottom limb, I presume?  Also, when you say you "stripped the finish," what did you use and how long after did you begin working the bow?  Stripping agents can remove more than the finish.  They often pull moisture from the surface of the bow, and it doesn't take much on the back to create a failure.

[Rob W.]

Top limb broke. I stripped it of with a scraper. The back is rawhide so I didn't touch that.

After comparing it to another piece of osage I think it was way to dry. That was also an area that took some major heat bending to get straight.

[KellyG]

Shame that happened but you get to make a new one.

[John Scifres]

I generally wait 2 weeks after heat bending a stave to start tillering.  Longer is better.

[Walt Francis]

My condolences.  Well, at least it was on the tiller tree and spared you from personnel injury.

Osage that is too dry has been my number one problem building selfbows the past several years.  Most the Osage I have was cut in 2004 or before.  The humidity here is about zero from November thru April.

[red hill]

Feel your pain,  Rob!   :rolleyes: