It Will Be Funny Someday...

[johnston]

When my first attempt at bow building developed about 3" of follow before I got it tillered my first response was to whine and moan on these hallowed pages. Best advice was to suck it up and learn to do better.
Well I was already sucking at this so all that was left was to do better.

Started a red oak pyramid from a board. I was slow and careful only taking off wood with a file. Re-read all four TBB's and avidly followed every thread on tillering, studying photos and comments. Learning by sneaking up on the
"Bowyer's Way". It worked and only three weeks later I had a decent looking bow(I got pic's) that shot nice and cast a 500 grain arrow about 135 yds. @25". Put about 150 arrows through it and it took about an inch and a half of set. Not bad. Then I decided to heat treat it.

I was careful. But when I removed it from the clamps a couple hours later it appeared black on the back about 10 " from both tips.Evidently it was not secure to the form and heat got radiated underneath.Ok that scared me enough that I pm'ed Marc St Louis and he was kind enough to reply. Said give 5 or 6 days in our 80% humidity. This was the sixth day.

I braced the bow early this morning with no problem and pulled it a few times. Put it on the tree and pulled to about 24" and it went. Both tips went at the dark areas.Well crap. I bumbled around a bit and finally picked up my first bow which has been re-worked down to 37lb and also shot a bunch and last night was heat treated.But with no burnt spots. Still I figured I'd back it cause that was ugly this morning.

Sat down at my table and put glue and backing on both limbs and was spreading more glue with a brush when I realized I was working on the belly! I ripped off the cotton duck backing and flipped the bow over and luckily got the mess to stick on the back. I put down a second coat and was pretty happy with the way it looked. I was going to put it on a rack to dry but found I could not move it.

I did not wipe off the glue when I flipped it and it is stuck to the table. Damn good glue it seems.

Lane

[PEARL DRUMS]

Now thats funny! I would pay good money for the dvd! Even with a day like that its still fun makin' wood bend. Thanks for sharing a "feel good friday" story with us. So many thing were learned on one little oak bow, beautiful!

[Josh]

...happy friday the 13th...

[dragonman]

stuff like that happens when you lose your equilibrium... you was probably in shock from breaking the other bow, bow making is intense and can be traumatic at times for sure,seems to be part of he process... beter luck next time,   I was once showing someone how to cut the string grooves into a guys first bow he just made and cut them the wrong way round!!!  I felt pretty foolish

[Elktracker]

Good story, very funny and things like this happen to the best of us lol Thanks for shareing

Josh

[ken75]

look at the bright side Lane with the bow glued to the table you got somewhere to hang your napkin while your eating
and a speed bump for the spinach bowl when its slung your way 

[Marc St Louis]

Sorry to hear that Lane.  Like I said in my e-mail, I've never had any real success heat-treating Red Oak.  It's too weak in tension to take to it well.  All the ones I've done failed and some spectacularly

[Del the cat]

Yeah, but you love it....
Be of the wood grasshopper.
We learn most from our worst mistakes. As a kid making a crossbow I'd sawn 3/4 of the way along a car leaf spring by hand with a hacksaw ... then I sawed off the tip of the limb instead of the scrap .
My Brother helped me saw down another one... it took us ages doing 5 minute shifts and we ate up a few blades.
Ever since I've sure as heck checked which is the scrap side when sawing
Del

[johnston]

Thanks for the comments guys.

Marc I believe the red oak would have been pretty good if done properly. It was badly damaged internally and I used boiled linseed oil for a coolant. Can't tell you just why but I ain't using it again.
Still it was my fault the bow blew up. Thank you for your input but you can't cure stupid.

 You fellers will understand this...I worked real late last night on my next bow and actually got it to the shooting stage.Put about a hundred through it this morning and I believe it will do.
Intend to post it when complete.

Lane

[dwardo]

I think dragonman nailed it, i have to try hard to not react in the same way as you did.
Its a character thing when you fail you just want to jump right back in and get going again and thats a good thing when teamed up with patience.

One a similar note the missus asked me to glue up a vase that she broke a while back. I glued it up and popped it back on the shelf where it has been ever since, not by preference but because its bonded its self to the shelf 

[blackhawk]

I got a good one from this weekend too. I was recurving tips and took it out of the boiling pot and in my big hurry stuck in the form and bent her over 90 degrees and went "oh s#!$...I just bent it the wrong way" and my metal strap was on the wrong side too. So I quickly bent it back up straight and took it out of the form to see splinters on the back of the bow. So I flew up the stairs in a rage and hit the wall. I didn't think I hit it that hard but in my blind rage I must've cus I put a big hole in my wall  .  Meanwhile my wife is watching me quietly. I did end up saving the tip by sticking it back in the pot and bending it the right way,and ill have to patch those splinters,not to mention my wall. Two days later im laughing my #$! Off.

Its alright we all do dumb boneheaded things. Keep at it.