Hickory / ERC - a start & a BLOW! (Hey Blackhawk)

[Lee Slikkers]

Here she is on the Tree.  Short-ish string pulling #45 @ 14"  (disregard the "extra string in the pic, it's from the bow stringer and I had to leave it on cause at the short string she kept popping the string off but if I kept just a bit of tension on with the stringer while I was drawing on the scale she'd hold her string.  I assume it keeps popping cause of the angle and the fact it wasn't at brace height yet, etc.)

From the pics it looks like she is a touch stiffer on the upper/right limb.



Here she is right after I was finished stretching her out a bit.



Doesn't appear to be much follow yet but when I viewing this pic through my photo software (has a grid feature) I could see that the upper/right limb appeared to have a bit more reflex to it than the lower limb does.  Any advice on how to chase that issue?

Many thanks~

[blackhawk]

Careful...I wouldn't pull it any further till you get her evened up more. Right limb is stiffer and both limbs could get hingey mid limb. For a bend in the handle you need more scraping on both inner limbs and a lil more on outer limb of right limb. As for the slightly more reflexed limb I wouldn't worry about. It s to minute to make any difference and will prob pull out and even up as you finish tiller and shoot it in.

[Lee Slikkers]

Here is a quick pic of her at #38 @ 18"...think the limbs are moving better now but looks like I can still loose some belly 6"-8" either side of the handle?



Thanks!

[PeteC]

It's lookin' good. You ought to make it. The failures I've had with ERC have all come from tension failure,and your hick back should solve that problem. God Bless

[Lee Slikkers]

Dang, and it was going so well...



You can plainly see the culprit of the failure and with 60+ such knots I think it was just a matter of which one and not if...   I even had her bending really nicely and pulling 48lbs @ 27" and as I was giving her a final few strokes before starting to work on the cosmetics, tips and finish I heard the tell-tale "tic" that is the announcement of the impending doom.

Guess I should have just made it my wife's bow and it would likely had held at her much lower draw weight.  I just got suckered in as I was shooting her in, she shot smooth and right where I was looking.  Can't blame a guy for wanting to actually keep ONE of the bows he's made since I have yet to do so.  Anyway, may try another ERC again but it will be a few bows down the road I think.

Thanks for following along.

(Oh, and I humbly bow to you Blackhawk...you pulled it off and I could not  )

[don't cry wolf]

my next build is gonna be red cedar i think. here's what i got in mind so far: i'm gonna start with a long bow probably 70"+ so the wood will have less stress on it, then i'll use half a log as the stave so it has less heartwood and more sapwood. also too when the tree was felled makes a difference in the winter it will have less sap in it and won't crack so easy and all the sap wont have to dry out of the stave...

[ErictheViking]

too bad Lee ERC is such a pretty wood. but you can't blame yourself it is notoriously phinicky as well. I did think the hickory backing was going to keep it together too. 

[blackhawk]

Ouch... :-\sorry lee. I was rooting for ya. Because I had my doubts with all those knots.

And no need to bow to me...im just an average joe who got lucky. That knot does look like a culprit to the mess,but how thick was the hickory and was it thinned down? And was this the same batch of hickory with the kids bow that broke? If I remember it wasn't good wood and too thick.

[Lee Slikkers]

my next build is gonna be red cedar i think. here's what i got in mind so far: i'm gonna start with a long bow probably 70"+ so the wood will have less stress on it, then i'll use half a log as the stave so it has less heartwood and more sapwood. also too when the tree was felled makes a difference in the winter it will have less sap in it and won't crack so easy and all the sap wont have to dry out of the stave...

Lonewolf, this was also a 70"+ longbow.  It was from a tree cut in early January while the sap was down.  For me the only reason I ever wanted to make and ERC bow was because of the stunning colors in the heartwood.  If you plan on less or no heartwood I'd almost recommend another wood as most any ERC has knots and sooner or later you'll find one where you wished it wasn't 

I wish you luck and be sure to post pics of yours when you start your build.  This won't be my last try with the stuff that is for sure...

[Lee Slikkers]

too bad Lee ERC is such a pretty wood. but you can't blame yourself it is notoriously phinicky as well. I did think the hickory backing was going to keep it together too. 

Thanks bud, I was hoping so too 

[Lee Slikkers]

Ouch... :-\sorry lee. I was rooting for ya. Because I had my doubts with all those knots.

And no need to bow to me...im just an average joe who got lucky. That knot does look like a culprit to the mess,but how thick was the hickory and was it thinned down? And was this the same batch of hickory with the kids bow that broke? If I remember it wasn't good wood and too thick.

Chris, it was the a lam of Hickory from the same lumber as the Kid's bow that blew.  But i really think this time it was the knot at that angle and on the edge of the Hickory lam.  When the Kid's bow blew cause it was too thick I took this one down to just a hair between an 1/8" and a 3/16" so I think the thickness was pretty good for the amount of ERC belly.  I was also very diligent about hitting every knot with the thing CA glue after each wood removal and/or sanding...but this knot looked a touch "punky" so maybe there wasn't enough hardwood for the CA to saturate and strengthen.

[okie64]

That sucks Lee. That was going to be a beautiful bow, it happens to all of us though. Good luck on the next one.

[Lee Slikkers]

That sucks Lee. That was going to be a beautiful bow, it happens to all of us though. Good luck on the next one.

Thanks bud, 1st busted bow really sucked...kinda getting used to it now 

[JW_Halverson]

That sucks Lee. That was going to be a beautiful bow, it happens to all of us though. Good luck on the next one.

Thanks bud, 1st busted bow really sucked...kinda getting used to it now 

I went thru a long phase where failure was fast becoming my comfort zone!  Here's hoping you bust out of this rut you are in, Lee!

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Lee I know some of you all really like your cedar, but I absolutely hate it. I tried to bend a piece one time and it wouldn't give an inch with heat or steam. I finally put enough pressure on it that it snapped just like your bow did. I vowed to never try another piece of cedar in the same room where I'm building a bow again after that episode.
It just seems like bad karma now. 

Sorry about the bow.

Can't you work on any of that osage yet?
I'd rather work a green piece of osage than a dry piece of cedar anyday.  LOL