Vine maple deflex, reflex, deflex, reflex, deflex...its a build-along!

[Bryce]

Noooooooooooooooooo! How much of the stave can you salvage?

[Carson (CMB)]

There is still a bow in there.  I might have to dial back my target draw weight and draw length.      

Hindsight is 20/20, but I feel like I should have seen that split coming, the way I tried to bend it with that small bite out. 

To answer some earlier questions, it was growing pretty well straight up. So the tension and compression wood would have alternated through the zigs and zags. 

[Bryce]

Well hopefully you can still pull a hunting weapon out of it.

[druid]

One of the most beuatiful staves I have ever seen....   

[Holten101]

Aww....too bad:-(, such a wicked stave.

I kinda knew it would blow when I saw the dry-heat picture. Steaming or boiling would have increased the chance of success I think.

Cheers

[gstoneberg]

That's too bad.  I never heat bend until the bow is reduced quite a bit, usually around floor tillering stage.  I'm wondering, if you keep the long side as your bow, if you still can't pull off your plan?  The tips are going to be quite thin anyway.

Good luck,
George

[Parnell]

It does kinda look like you should be able to still give it a go, just perhaps shortening the length a little?  Like George said, I'd reduce that thing down to ground tiller before anything is done.

Good luck, hope your not throwing in the towel.

[sharpend60]

Ive broke a good bit o vine maple using dry heat.
Steam has worked much better for me or boiling is even better

[Carson (CMB)]

I haven't thrown in the towel yet.  A little more info on the break: The dry heat set-up was not productive.  I let it rest up overnight, and then boiled the end for 1.5 hrs, I pulled it out and started leaning on it. It started to bend, then split.

It does appear to still have enough mass where I need it, but that first knot/bend above the attempted bend is really soft. I need to rough out a few other bows, before I can come back to this one.