Well this sucks... 57" Osage

[bjrogg]

Jim the next time you glue on a handle try leaving more fade. I like some of the fade to still be on the original piece of wood. If handle is popping off it's bending past the fades. Another thing that helps is to use thin multi layer strips for your handle so it can flex slightly in the fades without popping off handle.
I've probably made 70+ bows and I'm still a novice. They all teach me something. If they didn't I'd probably find something else to play with.
Bjrogg

[SLIMBOB]

Ditto that BJ. About the same for me. I’m competent, but not much beyond that. Concave backs are a problem within themselves. Just an added layer of complexity.

[bradsmith2010]

probably depends on the kind of wood too,,, how much you can do there,,
that particular piece of wood,, was not thick enough for sure,,
lots of guys make bows like that,, I dont do it,,, but any kind of bow can blow up and they do,,
I try to eliminate anything risky,,

[George Tsoukalas]

Looks like the handle is bending. Jawge

[PatM]

There's nothing unusual in appearance about the crack.  That's how they  break there.    The only thing a bit different is that it hasn't quite let go like they can.

 Not saying a shelf can't be cut, just not like that.

[sleek]

There's nothing unusual in appearance about the crack.  That's how they  break there.    The only thing a bit different is that it hasn't quite let go like they can.

 Not saying a shelf can't be cut, just not like that.

I've never seen it before, so it's new to me. Never had one fail before.... knockin on wood!

[Eric Krewson]

You can cut the entire handle off, flatten the belly out into your fades a little further, add a couple of 1/8" shims first then your piece handle and get rid of the crack.

Like this;

[PatM]

The crack is too far up the limb and off to the side for that it would appear.

[Eric Krewson]

Not in my experience Pat, you have probably seen some of the lost causes that I fixed just to see if I could. I have ground of a bunch of handles into new wood and replaced them.

Here is one that was broken by a beam falling on it in a house fire, I fixed it because the guy loved it, it was still shooting the last time I saw him.

Look at that crack running out from under the hande and to the belly as well as the bamboo split away from the back and running up in the limb, this one took urac and sinew to stabilize.

Again I ask, if anyone has attempted such a fix and failed let us know. If you haven't attempted such a fix your "opinion" doesn't matter.

[Eric Krewson]

Another one made from the worst impossible stave I had just to see if I could make a shootable bow out of it.

First, the bow before I applied the finish (Yep, those are pieces glued in) and second the bow after it was found in a bow shop in Chattanooga 10 years after I built it.

[Eric Krewson]

My point is, what do you have to lose for trying a fix, the bow is toast like it is anyway.

[sleek]

My point is, what do you have to lose for trying a fix, the bow is toast like it is anyway.

I think what you need to realise is that you have an unusual skill set that makes me and I'm certain others scratch their heads on how you  come up with then execute your repairs. You are VERY good at that.

[bownarra]

What makes me laugh is folks saying 'oh it can be done' and ignoring the fact that this bow broke in the first place because of that shelf being cut in...…is that crack there or isn't it?!? Did anybody say that it is impossible to cut a shelf into a selfbow???
I've made enough bows both glass and self and seen enough of these breaks to know how to design a shelf properly. As Pat said this is how they break in that area when the grain violation and the stress combination become too much. That crack is a classic example of what happens when you push things a little too far.

[sleek]

What makes me laugh is folks saying 'oh it can be done' and ignoring the fact that this bow broke in the first place because of that shelf being cut in...…is that crack there or isn't it?!? Did anybody say that it is impossible to cut a shelf into a selfbow???
I've made enough bows both glass and self and seen enough of these breaks to know how to design a shelf properly. As Pat said this is how they break in that area when the grain violation and the stress combination become too much. That crack is a classic example of what happens when you push things a little too far.

Valid point. What I'm not understanding is, how in the hell it's still in one piece and the back didn't self destruct. bows dont fail like that in compression,  sooo?

[PatM]

What makes me laugh is folks saying 'oh it can be done' and ignoring the fact that this bow broke in the first place because of that shelf being cut in...…is that crack there or isn't it?!? Did anybody say that it is impossible to cut a shelf into a selfbow???
I've made enough bows both glass and self and seen enough of these breaks to know how to design a shelf properly. As Pat said this is how they break in that area when the grain violation and the stress combination become too much. That crack is a classic example of what happens when you push things a little too far.

Valid point. What I'm not understanding is, how in the hell it's still in one piece and the back didn't self destruct. bows dont fail like that in compression,  sooo?

 That's easy.  They go tick before they go boom.  He stopped when he heard the tick.

 Not really any different from a bow popping a little sliver on the back.

Eric's demonstration of how to repair a bow broken due to other reasons or assembling a bow from scraps and then properly designing the fades and transition is not really valid to this bow.