Frustrated with thin rings!!! Broke

[okie64]

Yeah Lee, I think focus is my main problem. I ended up doin it kinda like George said. I would go about 6 inches up one side and then back down the middle and then down the other side. Worked out pretty good. Good Luck with yours. I'll post some more pics when I make more progress.

[Randy]

Okie, Those are some thin rings. I had a stave that looked a lot like that one, as far as thin rings. Worked on it for about a week, a little at a time. Finally on Sunday, It all fell into place and I got the stave to one ring. Since the rings are so narrow, I might back it but the plan all along was to make mine for a kid. Good luck with your stave. Don't give up on it. Just put it away for a while and come back to it later.  Randy

[okie64]

Finally got this one bending a little bit. Got a long ways to go though. Had to do a couple sessions of heat straightening due to some prop twist. I had to cut a little more off one of the tips because of a check in the end so its down to 49" now. I've never made a bow this short so I'm guessin these limbs are going to be really thin.
 

[Lee Slikkers]

Yahoo...thin ringed and 49", love it!

[Pat B]

Your are bending too much in the handle area. Leave that alone for now and get the limbs bending more.

[Lee Robinson .]

A good self bowyer is a very skilled craftsman. Few have impressed me to be honest, but those that have I would rank as good a craftsman as any I have ever met. I am very impressed with a nice selfbow. The skill appears to require tremendous patience.

[PEARL DRUMS]

A self bowyer of any sort or skill level is a true craftsman in my book......Nice work on that stave okie, should be a one sweet stick when you finish her up.

[okie64]

Got her bending a little more. This string only has it braced a couple of inches high and its pulled to 35# at 14" in this pic. I'm takin it really slow with this one. Any critique is appreciated.
 

[okie64]

It broke about 6 inches from the tip. Had it to 35# at 18" and lookin good. No hinges or flat spots. I guess maybe when I heated it some of it got to the back of the bow, dont know for sure.
 
Any ideas???

[Lee Slikkers]

Damn!  No ideas...I'm too new at this but sorry to see the result.  Been there once already this month~

[NYArrow]

Looks like the back had a pretty nice clean break, yet the belly was a bit jagged. Any noticed wood flaws in that area? Sorry to see the outcome in the end I'm sure you at least learned something from the experience.

[George Tsoukalas]

Well that's the way it goes. It happens. Start another. Jawge

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Sorry to see that man, like Jawge said.....start another one and don't let it get ya down.

I'm no expert either, but it looks like maybe you tried to pull it too far too soon? Those limbs are still fairly thick and maybe it just wasn't ready to bend that far yet?
It's hard to get short bows moving very far on the tillering board very fast, the limbs require being thinned down more because of their length. Short limbs create a hinge that's barely noticeable and are under alot more stress than longer ones.

I've only made one bend in the handle bow that was 57" tip to tip and at my 28" draw all I could get out of it was 40# without breaking it in half.

Just my opinion, so I may not be 100% correct.

[okie64]

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I put it on the shelf of shame along with the other broken bows. That shelf is startin to get pretty cluttered, HAHA.

Semo, I know what you mean about the limbs needin to be much thinner on a short bow. I know they might look thicker in the pics but they're barely over a 1/4" thick. Maybe I had a slight hinge toward the tip I dont know for sure. I kinda think the break had somethin to do with the reflex I heated into it. I've used the same form for longer bows and it works fine for them because the reflex starts at about midlimb. Because of how short this bow was the only part of the limb reflexed was the last 6". Also the wood where it broke was really pithy inside like there was just too much early wood in there. Oh well, time to move on.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

When I made my short flatbow I sanded from one end to the other evenly until I had a nice even "C" shape bending evenly throughout the entire bow. I didn't work on each area individually like I would a regular longbow, but I've only made one so that doesn't make me an expert by any means. It shoots really good though and has a nice arc through out the entire bow, so I guess I got lucky with this one?
I also use a fairly low brace height, my brace is just enough for the fletchings to clear the handle of the bow without touching when the bow is at rest, which puts it somewhere between 5-6" or so. That seems to be where it shoots the best.
 

[John Scifres]

Sorry 'bout that  :(   It was looking really good tiller wise.

Looks to me like the back is pretty toasted in that area.  You have to be really careful about the heat wrapping around the stave or reflecting off your caul and toasting hte back.  I've been there many times though.  My caul is like many and has the ability to bend wood sideways.  This makes it pretty easier for heat to build up in that corner if you don't watch it.  

Looks like you might be able to cut it down some and make a shooter of some kind though???

[okie64]

I think what you're sayin is right John. Pretty sure the heat was reflecting off the side board and getting to the back. Good idea about cuttin it off though. I think I'll cut it off and maybe it'll make a shooter for my little girl. I think I'm gonna work on some bigger staves with thicker rings for a little while though.

Semo, nice lookin bow. I have a bendy handle osage like that and I really like how it shoots. Mines a little longer though.