Broke my first ever,made it myself selfbow a couple of days ago.Red oak board lots of grain runoff.shot it some,bought some linen to back it with but did'nt put it on yet,was bracing it the other day without the stringer(Treating it like a laminated bow) SNAP ! ......D#$@"""*&%+ Anywho...chopped out a stave today with my gerber hatchet from a piece of black locust I cut down years ago in Washington state.(The year 1999) See what you guys think.