Egyptian composite build a-long

[medicinewheel]

man, that sucks! did you get hurt? hope not!
well, it's sure a learning experience, but a tough one this time, huh??

rather try mullberry, ash or maple (no burlwood) next time; i have not made one, but done a lot of research and those are the woods you will hear about. plus uses PERFECT edge-grain!

frank

[medicinewheel]

checking thru your thread i found this picture of the core; that looks like some serious grain run-off right there!

[welch2]

Yepp Frank ,that grain in the hickory bothered me too . I think that was the limb that held though . The hickory didn't split along grain ,it splintered into many sharp points from the back to the belly  (across all the grain I think ) . here are some more pics.











But the lemonwood broke the other way .



Heck I'll try again , for one thing this time I'll froe out my hickory then hand plane it ,to assure the grain runs true .And I'll make the core thinner overall.  Keep the ideas coming.

Ralph

[JackCrafty]

Did you hear anything before the bow broke?  Usually sinew will make noise before failing.  If not, then it looks to me like this is a simple matter of a hinge failure. The wood broke at the edge of the handle reenforcement (the piece you glued to the belly).  A smoother transition in thickness might work better, IMO.

[Hillbilly]

That bites the big one, Ralph-it was looking great.

[bootboy]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I that hella sucks my man!!
OOOH MY GOD!! Terrible!!!

[welch2]

Jack ,just one big bang .      the lemonwood's break starts about 2 1/2" from the handle build up ,and the very points of the longest hickory splinters are almost even with the edge of the  fade in the handle section.

It's no so bad ,the fun is in the making .And there was a lot of making in this one .
So as soon as I find some very straight grained wood ,I'll start again . I'd like to glue up several cores this time using different wood combinations .

Ralph

[The Burnt Hill Archer]

well, i admire your spirit about the whole thing.  but the good news is that ya got the failure on film! good job on that

Phil

[medicinewheel]

...
It's no so bad ,the fun is in the making .And there was a lot of making in this one .
So as soon as I find some very straight grained wood ,I'll start again . I'd like to glue up several cores this time using different wood combinations .

glad you can look at it that way!!

frank

[DirtyDan]

Thanks for a great "journey" through the process.  I had a gemsbok/osage/bamboo reflex/deflex that made it to the finals of the Ambush Bow Challenge, but finally exploded.  I know how frustrating it is, but you learn something from each attempt.  It makes you appreciate the craftsmanship and patience of the ancient bowmakers as they struggled to make efficient weapons out of natural materials.  Congratulations on a great project.

Dan Spier

[welch2]

Horn and sinew are always criticized for being to heavy.
Well I put the bow in the tub to soak off the horn and sinew .Look how high it's floating.

 







Ralph

[sonny]

horn and sinew are a fairly small percentage of that bow though, no ??

[welch2]

About 1/3 the volume I think.

Ralph

[michbowguy]

will the sinew still have decent properties after its been colored,and leeched in water?
or will it "soak" up the hide glue once it dries again, just like new?

jamie

[welch2]

Yes you can reuse the sinew .A couple folks tell me they like used sinew better.

Ralph