what about willow? (will it go boom)( i now have my craving satisfied)

[fishfinder401]

well, i didn't have to use willow to get this to happen, i was working on a oak board bow for my cousin, i was in the middle of tillering and was holind it and drew it to about 10 inches and BANG there goes half the bottom limb into my stomach(im glad it wasn't a warbow )
so i know have had my first bow explosion and have had that craving fulfilled without injuries
noel

[Justin Snyder]

Willow doesn't usually explode, it just takes huge amounts of set.

[sadiejane]

wow, i couldnt imagine making a bow outta willow.
one of my brothers had taken one out on his property. we were mostly using it for firewood.
it had been cut about 10 months.
decided i'd make a spoon for my sis in law outta piece. it had such a lovely shape and looked to make a great ladle.
well, i did get the thing done but dude, what a pita! like carving wet toilet paper.
will never try carving willow again.

[Justin Snyder]

wow, i couldnt imagine making a bow outta willow.

Keep it that way, it sucks for bow wood. I made a 4" wide pyramid and still got 8" of set.

[Stingray45]

I've heard willow is bad for bow wood. I've had a couple blow up on me, luckily I haven't had the anything come back to hit me. But those explosions plus the tales from others caused me to build my tillering rig with pully system. Had a couple break on there, only one really blew up on it. But I was standing 12 ft away so all was good. I make sure I pull it on that rig well over a 100 times once I get it to draw length, not to mention all the pulling to get it tillered there. Once I have pulled it a hundred or so times, then I'll take the bow off and put some arrows through it, wearing my cap with small brim and safety glasses for the first 50-100 arrows or so. It can obviously blow up after that, but I figure those are the most likely times for it to blow up.

[JW_Halverson]

My buddy, Mikey, built a now famous willow bow.  He had no experience and only a few pointers from me.  The tiller is pretty rough and there is nothing lovable about this bow.  It has prop twist and both limbs have lateral curves making it look like a giant slalom curve.  But it shoots.  It's lovingly called "The Mexican Propellor".   It pulls 50# at 26" and stacks like blazes.  If I remember right the bow shoots about 125 fps but he can hit with it when he practices. 

Limbs are almost 2" wide at the fadeouts and no taper until the last 4 inches.  I'll try to get some pics of it for you. 

The tree was a peachleaf willow (Salix amygdaloides) cut by a beaver.  Dropped and cut to length for him and left behind where he would find it, thanks beaver. 

Proves the old maxim that sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.   

[druid]

I made good flatbow of willow. Massive but not much physical weight. A little over 50#but it was ugly 2-hours-work. It is still somewhere in my basement I think.

[crooketarrow]

  I make 2 bows with I was younger. They did'nt explode but both did'nt take on major a set.