Broke my first entry but happy with design

[badger4x]

<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; broke my first entry today but very pleased with design, I had it at 70# and 28" and was going to give it 200 pulls on my tiller tree, had been braced all day and the last couple of hours I was giving it between 50 and 25 pulls per session, I made it to about 150 when she let go, A small piece of fiber lifted at a node and ran straight up the middle of the bow to the next node where she let go. I was very happy with both performance, ease of brace, and smooth shock free shooting so intend to repeat design as is. I was going to drop it down to about 62# after a good workout and a few days of long brace times but never made it that far, Back to the shaving horse! I think my downfall was possibly too abrupt of transition from bending limb to narrow stiff out limbs similar to holmgarde, bamboo can give you trouble like this. Steve</P>

[Nosage]

Steve,<br><br>Jaap Koppedrayer of Yumi Bows once told me that the nodes on a bamboo backing should be placed where the node will see even bending force across the entire surface.&nbsp; He suggested that when going from a stiff area to a bending area, if there were to be a node there, it&nbsp;would be more apt to lift a splinter at the node.&nbsp;<br><br>I can't say that I've had a failure in a backing because of placement like this, but I try and be mindful of where I put nodes now because of his suggestion.<br>

[TImo]

<P>Bummer Steve. Was it just a bad piece of boo,or other things working against you? What was your core wood? Anything there that might of cause the failure?</P>

[badger4x]

<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It lifted in a rigid part of the limb, near the tip, I had beveled the edge of the boo and damaged the node a bit on th edge, it was very narrow at this point som when it ran up it ran up into a wider section which put it close to mid limb. I am so happy with the design anyway I feel it was well worth it, going to leave the next one a tad wider toward the tips, I tend to push the narrow tips a bit too much at times, my own fault. The bow started with 1" reflex and ended up dead even after first unstrung which I was very happy with. Steve</P>

[badger4x]

<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I want to add something as well, I have been building a lot of bows for a long time now, actually way too many bows, I get stale sometimes and tend to look at it like my morning excercize. I usually build a bow nearly every morning before I go to work at 1 pm. I get hooked on the bend and the chrono. This bow was a real experience, very rewarding, I was going for the perfect tiller, had it on the tiller tree every few scrapes, really got to draw on everyhting I have been practicing on. Probably the best bow I have built in my entire life. I wished it wouldn't have broke but don't really feel any loss because i know I can just do it again with a little improvement. Steve</P>

[Dano]

<P>A real bummer it broke, but it sounds like your havin fun, keep up that great attitude.</P>

[DCM]

<P>You gonna bust me up if I make one too Steve?&nbsp; I'll vote for yours if it will make you feel better, and&nbsp;it doesn't suck.&nbsp; LOL&nbsp; Got the bulletwood and boo ready to go.&nbsp; Gotta get me just a little shop time after supper and will post a pic.</P>

[DCM]

<IMG alt="" hspace=0 src="http://home.midsouth.rr.com/ddmims/cb1.JPG" align=baseline border=0><BR><BR>Well it don't favor much yet, but I got high hopes.&nbsp; Layed out 1 1/2" to midlimb.&nbsp; Will finish well inside of that I expect.&nbsp; Center post 1 1/2" high at 1 1/2" below center.&nbsp; Arrow pass at center.&nbsp; Middle posts of 3/4" at 11" from center,&nbsp;3" high end posts.&nbsp; 1/2" bulletwood did not want to do that but aside from a little clamp bendage I got it down ok.&nbsp; Handle still full width.&nbsp; Haven't decided exactly how I gonna go there, other than to try to work into it, with a respectable 1 1/4" depth at the palm swell.&nbsp; Got a 10" piece of bulletwood scavenged off the core to build up the handle.&nbsp; May do an osage on top of that and put it on the nock overlays as well.&nbsp; Bulletwood and osage look perty good together.<BR><BR>Suggestions Badger?&nbsp; <BR><BR>I&nbsp;read pretty closely&nbsp;the posts about yours, and will follow it to some degree, limb section and width predominantly.&nbsp; Hope&nbsp;I don't repeat your boo misadventure.&nbsp; I left my nodes proud in thickness,&nbsp;but didn't really have much say on placement as this boo had beaucoup nodes.<BR>

[TImo]

<P>I have a 6' piece of boo here that has 5 nodes,ifin you are in need of it? had a few years now, and probly will never use it.</P>

[badger4x]

<P>Dave,&nbsp;I really like the profile a lot, I feel a I made mine too narrow at the transition (about 11" from the tips), I think if you left it about 1 1/2 wide near the handle and tillered it out not past 63#. Also I would leave at least the last 8" dead stiff. I don't narrow mine down until I start weighing the bow, which I do right after i get it bending a bit at floor tiller, Mine finished at 17 oz and 70#&nbsp;my next one will finish at 19 oz and 63#. I use radiusing the belly and scraping the sides to control the mass, at the begaining I may be more agressive about scraping the side but ince I get within about 3 oz i concentrate more on radiusing and removing weight there. I have tried to copy your tillering tecniques so no suggestions there, Just a lot of excersize at each new 1'of draw and be super vigilant of the slightest weakening of the wood. On short bows I naturally try to get them working very close to the handle both for a smoother draw and the extra inches of draw length I can pick up there. I was hoping you would do one like this. Steve&nbsp;</P>