Am I just lucky? (Selfbow failure rate from a novice)

[forestdweller]

I got into making selfbows a few months ago and got into it with the idea that it was very complicated and that 99% of selfbows fail with the first pull since that is the claim a lot of people make.

To this date I have made 3 selfbows and have yet to have one fail on me while shooting.

The first one I made shot fine even though it was underweight and was a bend through the handle design.

It did break but only because I braced it with a string that was WAY too short for it (it broke while I braced the string on it not while shooting it).

The second bow came out really under weight but is still shootable.

My last bow was a red oak board bow that takes 1 1/2" of set after shooting and even though it is a slug (casts a 450 grain arrow about 100 paces since it came out at only about 30# which is underweight) it still shoots fine.

Mind you these boards were far from perfect, the red oak from my last bow has grain run off but still shows no signs of fretting, compression failures, or splinters or anything.

Is the whole idea that selfbows are very fragile and failure prone just a myth or am I just lucky?

I mean the grain is violated as well with the board bows so one would think they would fail right away but this does not seem to be the case.

What are your thoughts? I know that I have learned one thing and that is that wooden self bows can handle A LOT more abuse than I thought they could.

[Jackpine Boyz]

It is amazing how impressive these "primitive" bows can be.  Proper board selection and grain orientation will pay off over time.  Using intentionally  violated backs is asking for trouble.  If not to terrible a rawhide or linen back is great insurance.

Maybe someone can comment on red oak, but I have found heat treating hickory recently does wonders for the belly, and adds close to 10 pounds back into the bow.

Some woods like hickory will tolerate some violations on the back.

A good arrow to start with would be 10 grains per pound.  100 paces would be 500 feet for most people.  That's pretty impressive. I usually only shoot whitetails about 20 yards or less.

[mwosborn]

Originally posted by forestdweller:
Is the whole idea that selfbows are very fragile and failure prone just a myth or am I just lucky?

Selfbows can be extremely durable and last for years.  I believe it would be an over generalization to say they are fragile and prone to failure.  Most failures simply result from asking too much of the wood.  This may be because of poor design and or tiller or it may be someone just wants to push the limits of a particular piece.  The challenge it to get as much out of the wood as you can without breaking it!

Sounds like your first 3 were all low poundage bows and most likely not too stressed.  Sounds like your off to a good start.  Good luck!

[scrub-buster]

I think the failure rate for beginners has went down significantly over the last several years due to the amount of videos, websites, and forums available online.  If a beginner does his homework and follows the advice that is offered he has a very good chance of making a successful bow on his first attempt.  

I followed Micky Lotz's build-a-long word for word on my first bow.  I also asked a lot of questions on the primitive archer forum.  It was a junker but it survived.

[KenH]

Selfbows aren't fragile, IMHO, but you've given yourself a bit of luck because you aren't trying for, or at least are not achieving heavy draw weights -- 40-60#

[Pat B]

My first 10 years I never broke a bow, badly bent, yes but no breaks. It wasn't until I became more proficient that they started breaking.
 Like said above wood choice, proper design for the wood and bow style and IMO the most important, patience. I think lack of patience is the greatest killer of newby's bows.
 A good way to keep from loosing too much weight while tillering is to draw to the ultimate weight while tillering. And don't forget to exercise after each wood removal session.

[George Tsoukalas]

Well, I had lots of breaks, underweights  and failures (14)  before I got a hunting weight shooter but I started during the late 80s or early 90s....forget exactly.

There's a lot more info around now.

Just remember we stand on the shoulders of giants.

Jawge