I started into this two years ago and have produced two kids bow for my two young boys and two adult bows for a buddy and my dad. I've had a couple of failures due to a splinter popping around a knot that I did not leave enough wood around and due to a brain-fart stringing malfunction. The bow I made for my buddy was to get Karma back on my side, and the bow I made for my dad was one that I made way lighter than I intended.
I pulled down my best stave that was ready to be worked...it was wide, deep, and flat on the back with great growth rings. After chasing the ring I was after, I realized the back was an undulating heap of character. When reducing the bow to the dimensions I drew, I realized that side checking from initially drying the stave too fast in the dry Wyoming weather was likely going to make the stave a no-go. I was able to get close to the width dimensions I wanted, but I lost a bunch of depth at the handle because of the side checking, and the stave gave me what it gave me...a twisting, undulating bunch of ugly. I kept at it, and eventually tillered it out to a 59# at 28" sweet shooting selfbow. After 300+ shots, it had taken a bit of set and settled into 57# at 28". I finished it with bear grease, tuned some cane arrows to it, and took it hunting. On my second trip out, I found myself on the ground 22 yards from a 140-150" whitetail that was broadside. I was shocked, as I did not think this little spot held any big bucks. There was snow on the ground, and it was dead calm. The deer caught me drawing and stopped...he hit the ground at the release and whirled a 180 fast enough to get his skull in front of my 600+ grain arrow. The deer, by all indications, is alive and well, but during the tracking/searching period that followed, I dinged the back of the bow with barbed wire or a sharp rock. It looked like I would pop a splinter at the violation, so I degreased the bow with a lye bath, backed it with rawhide and prairie rattler skins, and hastily finished with 8 layers of turoil...so I could get back to the woods with it. After re-sanding and finishing, the bow was 48# @ 28" so I recurved the tips a bit more and got it to 53# @ 28". I'm happy with how it turned out, although I liked it better as a self-bow. It shoots smooth and quiet and will definitely kill if I do my part.
Fire away with advice on tiller, finish, design...whatever; I'm here to learn. Thanks, Eric
