injured during bow failure

[amsterdam]

hey everyone i have been reading the build alongs and have ordered a few books,  im very interested in building my own bow,  but im a little concerned about the possibility of the bow breaking.  Has any one here received any substantial injuries due to a bow failing??? just curious

[joekeith]

Yeah, I had one snap in two, and it broke my heart.      

[Pat B]

Are you concerned about injuries while driving your car?

[WestTexan]

Read all you can...and jump in.Once you get some wood in your hands you'll be hooked.

[Blue EagleBum]

Jump in. Had my second adult one snap 6" above the fade. No injury, but a lot of knowledge gained.

But a word of caution... Bowyering is addictive. Kinda like Lays potato chips, you just can't stop at one. So join the club. My name is Wes and I'm a bowyering addict.      

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I don't let the thought even cross my mind. I've broke lots of bones in my days and recieved enough stitches on and off for the past 40 years to make a quilt. I'll be damned if I'm gonna let the fear of injury from a bow possibly breaking on me keep me from building them.    

You just gotta do it right the first time so you don't break any, and know when to stop drawing it. If you hear a click, pop, tick, crunch, snap, or any other noises that a bowyer never likes to hear........just stop shooting it. Look it over real good and find out what's going on before it does break on ya, you may be able to fix whatever it was that is making the noise. But if it's broke in 2 there ain't much fixing that.

Course I ain't never found much that I was afraid of, except spiders and I'm learning to deal with them.    

[Roy from Pa]

I never got hurt from a bow breaking, but there is a lot of my blood splattered on the bow shop floor:) Little cut's and bruises mostly caused by my careless ness. But like Semo, I've got scars all over from stitches and broken bones from non bow building adventures..

[okie64]

Start out using hickory if you're nervous about it. Even if a hickory bow does break it wont usually explode suddenly in your hands like some of the other woods. I've broken around 15-20 bows and havent been seriously injured yet.

[George Tsoukalas]

I've been plunked a few times but that's the way it goes. Jawge

[fish n chicks]

You can't sleep with the prom queen if you never ask her out!

[Aznboi3644]

I've only been making and breaking for about a year and a half now and I've broken a few.

It's part of the process...I've been hit on forehead and top of the head a couple times...but its not lethal.

I'd be more worried about the horrible drivers on the road than breaking a bow.

[GREG IN MALAD]

If you follow basic shop safety rules, building bows is no more dangerous than any other woodworking hobby. If you use good materials and dont push the bow design to the limit then you shouldnt break very many.

[bigcountry]

Don't worry, after you break one or two while investing over 20 hours in it, the broken heart will be much more than other injury.  I have had em cut my arm.  But all I could think about, was I can't believe that just happened, while standing in shock.  

If your really concerned, the real danger is to your eyes.  And you can always wear some safety glasses.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

That would be my biggest and only concern really Big Country, I'd sure hate to lose an eye or be visually impaired the rest of my life.

Everything else is just some skin, it'll grow back.

[bigcountry]

Semo, my nephew and few others want a selfbow.  But I am so hesitate to give em one.  I am just worried about thier eyes.

[b.glass]

Heart broken by a broken bow here too.

[rover brewer]

I've just started last year made 2 so far have 2 in the makes has broke my piggy bank to pieces.

[Lee Slikkers]

Semo's right, so far most of my skin is starting to grow back now...
 

[Living_waters]

This one made me cry!
 

This one a guy asked what I wanted for it while it was laying on a table at a benefit. I turned away to answer a question from some one else and turned back around to see the string being pulled past his ear, before I could say anything parts went flying into the crowd.
No one was hurt but if this guys son hadn't been with him I cant promise I would not have beat some sense into him with the pieces. Wouldn't been so bad if he hadn't been a fellow preacher and immediately began putting the blaming on the bow to everyone that was staring and not his ignorance in handling a wood bow or some one else's property. I had asked him earlier what his draw length was and he answered 30 inches and I told him that bow wasn't for him.
 
But like has been said take a few precautions when building and you will be fine ......accept for the addiction

[StickBowManMI]

I had one break right at the grip at full draw, took 9 stitches in my head to close the wound. Made me nervous for a few weeks but then I just got back to shooting as I normally do. I realized that it could happen to anyone at any time.