Life of a Selfbow

[straightarrow]

A friend and I were out shooting yesterday and a curious question arose. How long does a well tillered, well designed, well sealed selfbow last? I know there isn't a magic number and then all of a sudden it breaks, but eventually the bow will show some wear and tear? What are some things to watch out for?  Should you alternate the way you string the bow? I read somewhere that a lot of stress can be on the bottom limb when stringing. Should you limit the amount of shots when your out shooting? ? Where is the best place to store you selfbow? Does anyone have any good tips on how to care for your selfbow? After all the hard work, sweat, and sometimes blood its only natural to want to treat your bow well. What do you do???

Jon

[Del the cat]

It will last as long as the wheelbearings on your car...
But seriously, it depends on the bow design, a longbow which can take 32" draw but is only pulled 28" should last for years and years.
A 50" unbacked flatbow drawn 28" will prob shw signs of stress fairly quickly...

[Ryano]

There is no good way to answer that question. It's like Del said. How long will a spark plug last in your car or light bulb in your house? Some last a very long time almost indefinitely while others may not be so lucky. We are working with natural materials here that sometime have unforeseen or hidden flaws.

[George Tsoukalas]

A bowyer friend's personal osage bow, which he shot regularly,  lasted 15 years before fretting. He retired it. I like to make my bows so I make another for myself each year so I can't speak from personal experience. I always used the push pull for stringing. Now I use the stringer. It's easier on the bow and on me.  Jawge

[broketooth]

i had a selfbow, a rawhide backed hickory bow that lasted for 14 yrs before it let go . i also had a vine maple but it only lasted six months. both had excellent tiller both were well taken care of. when it comes to wood, you never know when it will give up on you.im still learning not to become too attached to my bow because it does have a lifespan. when the wood decides its done ,its done. i wonder what mr pat has to say on the subject

[Aries]

Pretty much whenever i make a new bow and decide i like it more than my old one, i just give away the old one and keep the new one. i have done that for several years so far and haven't gotten any reports of breaks..... yet  .  Since I  usually dont plan on keepin bows for a long time I usually shoot for  high performance, short life span designs.

[straightarrow]

Yea guess I it would kinda be like the new car feeling. Great at first and then the feeling slowly goes away. So you just make another. I've got two shooters and I won't be stopping there.....I want a new car every month..........I guess that will keep the miles down.......LOL

Jon

[Gordon]

I gave a bow to an unemployed friend. He went crazy and would shoot it for hours on end every day of every week. I knew something was up when he handed me the bow about a month later and I noticed the arrow rest was completely worn away. About 6 months later he said the bow felt a little light. I weighed it on my tree and it came in about 15 lbs lighter than when I had originally tillered it. It didn't show any set or frets, but he had literally worn the thing out  . It's hanging above his fireplace now.

[Keenan]

 My favorite yew ambush bow has well over 5000 shots and going strong. I think if it's good wood,well tillered and not abused (right weight arrows for the poundage) it will last for many years.

[mullet]

 I've got a lemonwood bow that is unbacked and close to 80 years old. I still shoot it when I get the urge to shoot a Victorian style Longbow.

[Del the cat]

I've got a lemonwood bow that is unbacked and close to 80 years old. I still shoot it when I get the urge to shoot a Victorian style Longbow.

Hmmm, presumably that's pretty seldom
Del

[osage outlaw]

Mine only last until I get the urge to make a new one!

[woodstick]

i shot with a man at mcalllester that had a 65 year old osage bow, still shooting it, had a few patches on it but still shot good. dang near black color.

[El Destructo]

The Osage Bow that I shot the Classic with last Year...is now 10 years old....and gets the Shiot Shot out of it....has Major Linear Cracks...and a Big Knothole in the Top Limb...but shows no sign of String Follow....or Frets...at least not Yet

[sweeney3]

I have an Owl bow from Mr. Scott that I've had a couple years and have shot ump-teen thousand arras from.  It is in wonderful shape without a hint of wear or tear.  I'm going to cry for the first time in long, long, long time when it gives in. 

It is so well made, however, that will probably be a long, long, long time...knock on wood.