A few weeks ago I decided to start a board bow using oak.  I went to the local big box store, rifled through their  entire supply for the perfect board and went through the process.  Read the Bowyers bible I and am partway through II.

I wanted to do the first one completely by hand, no power tools.  Chisel, hammer, hatchet, rasp, etc.

I had the bow drawn to 55 pounds with the tillering string getting it ready for the correct string.

I strung it and enjoyed it looking like a bow for about 2 minutes.

Then I drew it to 45 pounds and it snapped.  It was really loud and I ended up with a good puncture wound on my hand and significant swelling.  

I put a lot of time into it, i'm pretty disheartened right now.  Anyone have any terrible bow breaking stories to share with me?

I was far worse bro. I broke 7 bows before I got my first one built. I worked so hard on them and they just looked beautiful. I would get them right at the finishing stage and break them. It got so I would walk into the house and my wife would say , Honey, You broke another bow. She knew by the look on my face when I got my first shooter.

God bless you and just hang in there. Steve

Did you back it with anything? A friend of mine made oak board bow just like you only he backed with linen. It was his first he built and still is shooting today. I just thought Maybe backing with something helped him out.

I haven't tried making one yet, but I'll bet Steve's story is fairly common among bowyers. Keep plugging at it, I just hope you aren't injured again.

Take a look at the stunning bows Steve is building now if you need some inspiration. Absolutely works of art, every one.

Thanks to GOOD TEACHERS (one with 3 decades of bow making), I have never broke a bow. Of course, I am referring to laminated bows. I have a GREAT DEAL OF RESPECT for a quality self bowyer. Good luck.

Forget the boards.  It's dang near impossible to find a board that will work well.  Saplings are much easier to work with.  Do you have any hickory, dogwood, elm, hackberry, persimmon, maple, etc near you that you can get access to?

I've done 5 self bows so far, and only one survived past tillering, and it's developed a crack, so no more shooting. On the plus side, I have plenty of walking sticks.

When you teach yourself, breaking bows is the norm. Just shrug it off and try again. And again. And again. Then, take a break. relax. Then, try again. I learned to not even think of putting finish on my bows. When I get one that lasts past a hundred shots, then I'll think of finishing it.

Keith, when I saw the title of your thread and your handle I was afraid it was your Kodiak.

I guess it's proof I spend too much time here when I know what bows so many members are shooting.

Never had a board last anymore than a few shots-most less. But they are great to learn on. Buy a decent stave you won't regret it.
You should post this in the 'bowyers bench' section.

QuoteOriginally posted by DannyBows:
Keith, when I saw the title of your thread and your handle I was afraid it was your Kodiak.

I guess it's proof I spend too much time here when I know what bows so many members are shooting.

This does seem to be a pretty tight nit community as forums go.  The Kodiak magnum is doing well at the moment:)

A friend mentioned losses and breaking things in the pursuit of a skill, including damaging guitars.  This, along with the banjo hanging on the wall gave me the serendipitous idea of making a cigar box banjo out of the broken remains of my bow.  The fade and handle are almost perfect for making into the neck of such an instrument, which will still maintain the dignity of this particular piece of wood and make my efforts feel like they were not so much in vain.

Not to mention my odds of violently snapping the banjo are significantly decreased.  Hopefully when I complete it I will be in a better mood to make my next bow!

I have broken four and only one made it . But I cheated and it has a lamination of hickory on its back.

Lee, I was talking board bows bro. Actually the first bow I ever made was a yew bow . Its still going after over 40 years.
I cut my teeth on laminated board bows though. Its something every bowyer ought to do just for the experience. You really learn how to build a bow and the forces of wood and what woods are good on compression and which ones are good for expansion forces.
I seriously apply those lessons I learned doing that to building glass bows.

God bless you all, Steve

Same song I sang.Was making it for a little man who stole my heart as he had lost his mother in an auto collision.I even had it backed with hickory but she snapped like a toothpick.Sorry about your wound,I managed to escape that part.

My first solid wood bow broke at full draw. It was made from the sapwood of black walnut. My next one was of hack berry. I still have it today. After that, I went to osage.

I broke two hickory backed osages during floor tillering. Gave up on backing after that.

i've never built a board bow, let alone a self bow.  my dad built all of mine for me, back in the 50's, outta lemonwood, hickory and osage.  but i think the problem with most board bows is the lie of the grain - if you have any runoff, it's gonna break sooner than later unless it's backed.  finding a totally straight grained oak board at home despot is near impossible, like finding a needle in a haystack and boy have i looked ...

QuoteOriginally posted by gonzoso:
...using oak.  I went to the local big box store, ...

All hardwood offered at these stores (and most other yards that cater mostly to homeowners) use material that is kiln dried and often case hardened in the process because the suppliers are motivated to hurry the drying process to meet price points.

So you began with a major lack of flexibility in that wood than would be typical in an air dried piece.

Find a source for air dried lumber.

Joshua