My first recurve (still in the works) CAN I SAVE IT?

[JustAim]

Man, when you said ya wanted a recurve, you must of really wanted a RECURVE!!!   Now comes the fun part....  Listen to what pat said and make it a working recurve. Have fun tillering that beast!

[medicinewheel]

BAAAAAAAD curves!
What I see here must have 200+# I would think!?

[kylerprochaska]

JustAim you are right...I have a lot of work ahead of me...Im gonna try to tiller it as a working recurve and re enforce the tips and back with sinew...Im gonna be shooting for 50-60 lbs so at least i have a lot of wood left to work with...this is kind of an experiment bow for me being my first recurve...liek i said earlier..you dont learn anything from not doing

-Ky

[zeNBowyer]

Looks  like  a  real  learning project  here,  great  job,
wondering  is  it  usual  to  bend the  limbs  before tillering? I  was  thinking  how  hard  it  must  be  to  tiller  a  curve?

[Timo]

No woories on the splinters. Brad Merkel,(Little Tree) has been building bows such as yours for several years now and he did a demo at mojam on boiling the curves. He sets them up for a a "prepared failure" meaning he aims for a splinter to lift,releiving some pressures from the back. Some of his curves are much stronger than that.

Steady on, it'll work,just gotta be patient. much to learn with a project as such.I'll be rootin for ya.

[recurve shooter]

good lord, talk about a recurve!

best of luck to you man! keep us updated. i wanna see it finished more than i wanna see it explode, but either way, we all want pics of how it ends up. 

[Ryano]

Go for it. It will work fine if you got what it takes to tiller it and get the string lined up. Nothing ventured nothing lost. 

[kylerprochaska]

So I just got the bow out and I noticed small cracks about 6 inches long running with the grain of the back....I thought i may be able to save it until I noticed small cracks all the way through the bow looking at the end....through the different layers of the grain....(It looks like a brick building)...I would like to save it but I really don't want to waste my time/materials to have it blow up in my hand....I think I may just stick with flatbows... What do you guys think? Can I save it?

-Ky

[JustAim]

Did you put the limbs in the water while the water was still cold? lf you waited for the water to boil first, and then put the limbs in the boiling water the limbs can crack. Bring both wood and water up to boil at the same time. And dont give up on making recurves and make flatbows only, this stuff happens. And just how deep are the cracks on the back anyway? lf they're not to deep you can chase it down another ring or so...you got alot of wood to work with from what l've seen. 

[kylerprochaska]

I started the limbs in the water when it was cool and brought them up to temp together...the cracks on the back aren't any deeper than one ring but im more worried about the cracks i can see on the tip of the bow....they only go through one ring but there are alot of them...if i can get my macro setting on my camera right ill try and take a picture.....Im planning on putting sinew on this too....will that help the cause of this bow?

-Ky

[kylerprochaska]

Here are acouple pictures of what Im talking about...the ones in the back don't worry me as much as the one of the end....what do you guys think??  oh and by the way I think if this bow does work out and is shootable Im gonna call her "Everyone's Bow" just because I've used you guys for info so much on it lol   

-Ky

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[JustAim]

  Heck, that aint bad at all. Those little tiny cracks will be long gone by the time you get done with her. Did you seal the wood before boiling? lf you didnt, do it now so it dont get any worse. Those look like drying cracks to me, or a result of applying to much pressure with the clamps. l'd go and chase another ring on the back though, then sinew it.

[kylerprochaska]

Yeah i did seal it with poly before i boiled it...but i noticed that some of it melted...so those could be drying cracks...and now that u mention that i didn't notice them when i finished the boiling process...not until today did i notice them....ill probably chas another ring and put a few layer's of sinew on her...thanks JustAim

-Ky

[Dano]

If those little checks don't run off the sides I wouldn't give em a second thought. Get some super glue in em and go on.

[El Destructo]

Leave em be....if you are planning on Sinew Backing it... Should be just fine......I'd be more worried about then 90 degree bends  causing problems than the dry cracks