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Author Topic: Cat-astrophic failure  (Read 4080 times)

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Offline Del the cat

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    • Derek Hutchison Native Wood Self Bows
Cat-astrophic failure
« on: May 16, 2010, 01:02:46 pm »
I was having a bad day anyway. I rear ended a car on the way to archery.  :-[
The bow shot well, but I thought, I'd improve the arrow pass, ease off the tip of the upper limb and lose a pound or two to give it a bit of safety factor.
Now 25" seemed like a reasonable safety factor until it went BANG!



Maybe it'll make 'Smashed BOM ?'

So to sumarise, not a great weekend, my team Porthsmouth lost the FA cup (I was there), I pranged the car and smashed my bow.
But hey, it was experimental...and cheaper than the car repair. ;D
Never mind, I'll have a nice cup of tea!
Del
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Offline Diligence

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Re: Cat-astrophic failure
« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2010, 01:53:42 pm »
that's a real shame Del...sorry to hear about the car too.  At least no one was injured in the destruction of either.  >:D >:D

j
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Offline Pat B

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Re: Cat-astrophic failure
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2010, 01:59:58 pm »
Please step away from the bow wood!  ;D  I bet this break got your heart pumping. I have only had a few bows break but they were all quite thrilling in a warped sorta way.  ::)
   Looks like a tension failure. Any cracks, hidden knots, etc that could have caused the failure?
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Lombard

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Re: Cat-astrophic failure
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2010, 02:02:08 pm »
Bummer Del, you escaped harm, so really a good day in the scheme of things. ;)
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Offline Del the cat

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Re: Cat-astrophic failure
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2010, 02:21:30 pm »
Quote from: Pat B on May 16, 2010, 01:59:58 pm
Please step away from the bow wood!  ;D  I bet this break got your heart pumping. I have only had a few bows break but they were all quite thrilling in a warped sorta way.  ::)
   Looks like a tension failure. Any cracks, hidden knots, etc that could have caused the failure?
Yeah, I agree it looks like a tension failure, but this might have set it off, a spot in the glue line where there wasn't good contact between belly and back.

It's good to have an autopsy, it did quite well for my first glue up with hide glue...we live and learn, to be honest I was surprised it didn't fail during tillering.
AS my Mum would say, "The man who never made a mistake, never made anything"
She also says "Never mind it won't affect the price of bread"... hmmm, don't s'pose it'll even make the ten o'clock news...  ;D
Or maybe that red squiggly stuff caused it? ::)
Del
« Last Edit: May 16, 2010, 02:26:17 pm by Del the cat »
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Offline keef

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Re: Cat-astrophic failure
« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2010, 03:37:46 pm »
 Hard lines my friend...
You seemed to take it quite well...and I wanted Portsmouth to win as well

i'm at the very start of my bowyer journey, and i have had five catastrophic failures ( One little hazel bow was going so well untill I left it in the workshop and unbeknown to me  a work colleague had drawn the 25" draw bow to 30+ inches and laid it back on the bench... I picked it up to shoot it in and on the 3rd shot it blew up and a part of the  bow smacked me so hard in the cheek, I looked like I'd been sparring with Mike Tyson!)
At least you were ok from the car bump, and ok from the explosion

Cheers

Keith

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Offline Del the cat

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    • Derek Hutchison Native Wood Self Bows
Re: Cat-astrophic failure
« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2010, 04:08:39 pm »
Work colleagues can get damaged, accidently of course >:D.
Good luck with the bows, (we all need a pinch of that).

Del
« Last Edit: May 16, 2010, 05:09:47 pm by Del the cat »
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Offline cracker

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Re: Cat-astrophic failure
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2010, 04:40:27 pm »
I hate when a day turns to poo like that hapens all the time. Chin up Ron
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Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: Cat-astrophic failure
« Reply #8 on: May 16, 2010, 05:30:45 pm »
Oh no on the car. Sorry to hear that your team lost. Always tough. Bows well..you know what I say. "If you ain't breakin' you ain't makin'" Jawge
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Offline AncientArcher76

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Re: Cat-astrophic failure
« Reply #9 on: May 17, 2010, 03:48:58 am »
Ouch is that the cherry u used?  I had that happened same to me in the early days I made a few cherry bows backed with hickory and I had quite the explosion.  Almost seems like cherry if it isnt a perfect piece of wood it cant handle a lot of compression.  Nice looking bow otherwise!

AA
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Offline dragonman

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Re: Cat-astrophic failure
« Reply #10 on: May 17, 2010, 07:17:46 am »
Bad luck with your bow :( Sorry to here that , it was a nice looking bow and fast. I think it was simply too short for the cherry wood to handle it!! Cherry is a good wood but only really suitable for longer designs. I would have thought , at least 66" with a short grip and 68" with a longer grip, then you would have got less set and a safer( if not as fast) bow. better luck next tme. 'failures are the pillars of success'!!!!
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Offline Pappy

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Re: Cat-astrophic failure
« Reply #11 on: May 17, 2010, 08:23:48 am »
O,i bet that was exciting, Sorry but it happens,looks like the last ERC I tried. Big POW. ;D ;D
   Pappy
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Offline PaulN/KS

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Re: Cat-astrophic failure
« Reply #12 on: May 17, 2010, 11:27:29 pm »
Bummer about your car, team and bow del... (Maybe not in that order)
Glad no one was hurt in either of the accidents.
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Offline youngbowyer33

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Re: Cat-astrophic failure
« Reply #13 on: May 18, 2010, 11:43:58 pm »
maybe you should stick with the small bows  ;D >:D better luck next time
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Offline Postman

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Re: Cat-astrophic failure
« Reply #14 on: May 19, 2010, 11:07:28 am »
Glad you're OK  - did you use 2 out of your 9 lives or get a "2fer"since both accidents were the same day? ;D
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