Need help with frets.

[albert49]

Hi friends. I am new here and english is not my home language, so I would like to appologize for some mistakes. I need help with freting of my bows. Cause of that troubles is known to me but, are there some steps which reduces risk of chrysaling?
    I thought for example about heat treating of belly or trapezoidal cross section of limbs. Have you any other ideas and do you think my opinions are correct? Thank you. Albert

[sailordad]

albert, first off     WELCOME TO PA

now we have some of the best wood bowyers in the world on this site
and everyone here is always more than happy to help out
but it would help if you could post pics of the bow(s) with the problem(s)
also what type of materials are you using,some woods are more prone to fretting than others
also design of the bow for the wood being used is also critical.as some woods work better for certain designs than others do.

[Will H]

Do you have some pics of the problem? That would help alot, though I think it might be due to limb width or over stressing during the tillering process.

[Pat B]

Welcome to PA, Albert.   Where are you from?
Frets are compression fractures caused by over stressing in one(or more) isolated area like at a hinge. Sometimes it will be near knots or near grain swirls. The only way to releave the fretted area is to remove wood from either side of the frets.
  There are a few factors that lead to fretting. Like said above, some woods are more prone to fretting.  A bit more info will help us help you. What wood are you using. Pics will show us how well your limbs are bending. Generally you can not eliminate fretting unless you greatly reduce the thickness of the entire limb(s) thus decreasing the draw weight.

[albert49]

Hi friends. Thanks for quick answer. I am Czech and live in central Europe. Posted pictures of first bow which is made from Black locust. I would like make it in style Wampanoag. Sapwood and partly heartwood scraped down to one ring.  66 inch nock to nock, 1,6 inch in the widest part of limb. Frets occur on right side (see on pic.2) where there is not knot, for 14 inches long.
Later I will post second bow made from Elm - Ulmus glabra. Albert

[Pat B]

Locust is one of the woods that is suceptable to fretting if your tillering is not perfect. I can't see any place along the drawn bow that would cause fretting but for me that never mattered.    I have had bad luck for years with locust fretting until just recently. You might try making your next locust bow a bit wider for that length but obviously I'm no expert with locust.

[Del the cat]

I#d say the bow was a bit long in the handle. That is there is no bend over the centre 1/4 of the bow so the rest of the limbs are working very hard.
Nice bow and very even tiller, I'd just make thestiff handle section much shorter.
Del

[albert49]

Just my next frets. I tried make english long bow from Elm - Ulmus glabra. It is 69 inch nock to nock 1,2 inch wide. However just repaired it with same wood shim. Albert

[albert49]

Sorry anymore one picture. Albert

[Buckeye Guy]

On locust I go a little wider so the limbs end up thinner !
1.75 - 1.9 inches wide and get as many inches bending on each limb as I plan on draw Length ending up
That's overbuilt by many standards but I plan on them lasting till after I'm gone !!
Hope  that answers your ? !!

[albert49]

Thank you, for your answers. Albert

[George Tsoukalas]

There are 2 causes for frets. One, a limb is bending more than another in a certain place. The hinging in this case is localized to one spot. For example that right limb is bending too much at mid limb. It is almost hinging.  I don't know where the fretting is in relation to that area. Second, if the limbs are too short or too narrow fretting will happen all along the limb. I've had more than my share of hinge. Oddly enough though not that many with black locust. There is a fix or 2. You can retiller and fix the spots that are bending too much but leaving them alone and retillering the rest of the limb. Retiller the other limb to match. You can also put some rawhide on the part that is bending too much. Hope this helps. Jawge

[crooketarrow]

   People on here are right. Your limb are to narrow for the design causeing stress. TILLERING also will cause stress (starting of a hinging).