Bow Break?

[woody]

Hi All,

I recently had a bow snap in two at mid-limb (the lower limb).  I was surprised that this happened - for reasons other than the obvious.  It was fairly well tillered, followed one growth ring on the back, and not real heavy in draw weight.  I had it stored away in my closet, however, for several months without drawing it.  I was wondering if the moister content may have had a chance to drop dangerously low.  This did not seem likely to me since I put a hefty amount of finish on it (polyurethane, if I remember right).  I thought that this finish would be somewhat impermeable.  Is it possible for a bow to loose so much moisture in so short a period with so much finish on it?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

p.s. I would've posted some pics, but I was so ashamed that I immediately threw it in the trash. :-)

[Pat B]

I always save broken bows. You can learn a lot from the break.   Even though we seal our wood bows, the moisture content can and will change with changes in R/H. By sealing the bow, we are slowing this exchange. If your wood was dry and stored in a low humidity environment, it will loose moisture. Especially during the winter months.
...back to the break, did the back fail? at a knot or grain swirl? did the belly colapse? what kind of wood were you using? By studying breaks you will what went wrong and try not to do it again. A simple scratch or ding in the right place on the back of a wood bow can be fatal.   Pat

[Justin Snyder]

I always put mine aside and come back a week later to inspect. I will repeat this as many times as it takes to figure it out.  I had one for about 4 months.  It wasn't until I made more bows with backing from the same board that I figured it out.  The second and third bow failed also.  It was a different spot on the limb, but after checking the grain on the backing. I discovered it was the exact same spot in the tree. Justin

[Pappy]

I usually keep mine for about 30 min. some time a little less and then cook brats with them.
Got to have fire to.I have cooked a lot of brats over the years. Seriously I look them over
the best I can to see if it was me,sometime it is and sometime I just remember I am dealing with a piece of wood and you are never completely sure of what you got till you start bending it.
   Pappy

[Pat B]

Here are a few pics of the first osage bow(41"t/t) I ever made. It is from a board I bought from Dan Tice, Jay Massey's cousin, about 20 years ago. The grain was terribily violated but I could pull it to 20" with no problems and it would sling an arrow. I was showing it to one of the strapping young carpenters that was building my house and I told him to not draw it to more than 20" but before I knew it he had pulled it way back and it went boomyow!!!
   I still look at the break today because it has tought me about breaks around grain violations. This bow broke right where it was supposed to.   Pat

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[Minuteman]

 
 Eeyup, Pat, they always seem to break RIGHT where they are supposed to!

[artcher1]

Odds are it's moisture content was to low. Had four in a roll blow on me one winter....... I'm a little slow ! Several were hickory and one Osage. Other was a hickory backed persimmon. All bows were well tillered with thousands of shots through them. Got me a humidifier now! -ART B

[woody]

Hey that's great info everyone, thanks so much! Pat the break did occur just beneath a pronounced knot in the lower limb.  I thought I had worked this area carefully so as to avoid any problems though.  Oh well, these things happen.

[venisonburger]

It probably wasn't broke that bad until you smacked him for ruining it hey? lol
VB