Friday 30 September 2016

Exploding Bows

The 115# Warbow had a few tricky knots on the upper limb, I had it braced and the tiller looking pretty even, it was pulling back about 24" or so, but the knotty right limb seemed a bit stiff despite being thinner than the other limb (always a worrying sign).
It went BANG at 115# made me jump, but fortunately I was pulling the rope a yard away from the bow.Inspecting the wreckage, it looks like the back gave way in the region of the knots. It looks like the grain runs diagonally across the back (same as on the previous, 150# Warbow. tree/limb growing with some twist?) Maybe the stiffness of the knots was just too much for the back. I don't think I did anything "wrong", I just think that the knotty limb wasn't good enough for 115#, maybe it would have made an 80#, who knows.
Some you win some you loose.
Top pic shows either side of the limb at the knotty undulating area, you can see it is problematic.


Last pic shows the juxtaposition of the filled belly knot to the other knots and the break... all in all a pretty dodgy limb.
I might be having a bit of a break from the bows for a week or two while we make a summer house in the garden, hoping to make something a bit different with a curved roof which sloped right down on one side, sort of quadrant at each end. So posting may be a bit sparse, might have to sort out the garage to get the raw materials in, but that may give me a chance to pick out staves for the next bows.

2 comments:

  1. Hey Derek. Wouldn't mind seeing how you get on with the summer house. Paul.

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