Goin nuts

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Tradman
Posts: 1833
Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2011 11:53 pm

Goin nuts

#1 Post by Tradman »

I am going bonkers tryin to figure out what I am doing wrong with these dang bows.Three of them have blown up on me now.Last one hit me in the face and damn near took my eye out.Epic failure seems to be my line of the day.I changed my glue up process thinking that was it but nope.Got to be in my form.I think I am throwing it out and starting over with a less radical slight r/d and see where that gets me.
IT'S NEVER WRONG TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT AND IT'S NEVER RIGHT TO DO WHAT'S WRONG....LOU HOLTZ

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Tradman
Posts: 1833
Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2011 11:53 pm

Re: Goin nuts

#2 Post by Tradman »

Oh.....HI GUYS...Yes he still lives.
IT'S NEVER WRONG TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT AND IT'S NEVER RIGHT TO DO WHAT'S WRONG....LOU HOLTZ

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Shadowhntr
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Joined: Wed Feb 10, 2016 4:47 pm

Re: Goin nuts

#3 Post by Shadowhntr »

Ugh.....get a black eye, or cut? That sucks L. Hope you get it figured out. Them were some gorgeous bows too.
The element of surprise can never be replaced by persistence.

Big Foot
Posts: 65
Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2016 8:26 am

Re: Goin nuts

#4 Post by Big Foot »

How about some stack specs & photos bro? i may have some helpful suggestions. Its real easy to overlook something basic when you are so focused on details.

Carpdaddy
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Re: Goin nuts

#5 Post by Carpdaddy »

Oh wow Triple-L that's bad! What I have seen certainly looks great, I've never had one to do that but I'm sure it's quite disheartening. Hopefully Big Foot or someone else can help you determine what the problem is.

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Tradman
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Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2011 11:53 pm

Re: Goin nuts

#6 Post by Tradman »

I actually erased a lot of my pics kirk.I had a minor meltdown/baby fit and...Well...the pics got erased out of frustration.Heres whats left of them though.
IMG_0220.JPG
IMG_0219.JPG
IMG_0218.JPG
IMG_0076.JPG
20160315_160308.jpg
IT'S NEVER WRONG TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT AND IT'S NEVER RIGHT TO DO WHAT'S WRONG....LOU HOLTZ

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Tradman
Posts: 1833
Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2011 11:53 pm

Re: Goin nuts

#7 Post by Tradman »

By stack specks I assume you mean my thickness of Glass tapers and core? Have used .50 glass and 105/110 tapers and cores.Shooting for around 55@28 and using a few different bow lengths.I don't understand what I am doing wrong.All I wanted to do was build up this website and give away some bows.On the upside the website seems to be getting a little busier these days.I was pretty damn close to giving up on all of it at one point.I work my butt off in the steel industry,a 55 year old doing a job for 20 yr olds with boundless energy so my time off to rest was spent sanding and shaping a bow just to have it blow up in my face.Frustrating yes but I will not give up,i will never stop trying to get this down.I just glued up a bow last week with a different glue up process that seemed a vast improvement as far as no air pockets etc then I cut the window down past the 1 1/4" line all the way down to the centerline so now I assume its a waste.I haven't even looked at my shop since.I stepped away for a while.Its to disheartening to put all that work into something and totally expecting it to fail yet again.
IT'S NEVER WRONG TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT AND IT'S NEVER RIGHT TO DO WHAT'S WRONG....LOU HOLTZ

Captainkirk
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Re: Goin nuts

#8 Post by Captainkirk »

Edison discovered over 1500 ways not to make a light bulb before he found one that worked.
Aim small, miss small!

Big Foot
Posts: 65
Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2016 8:26 am

Re: Goin nuts

#9 Post by Big Foot »

What type of epoxy are you using, & clamping method? are you using heat strips or a hot box to cure them? Type of core woods and grain configuration? Vertical? Flat grain? Moisture content on wood?

There is a lot of things that can, & will go wrong building bows. What we are doing here is building a matrix of man made composites & wood, and bending the finish product repeatedly.
Failures are typically caused by one of the composites overpowering the wood lams. The key is learning to distribute the load on the limbs properly to withstand the compression put on the wood fibers..... 99% of all limb failures is either tip notch related or compression issues.

Could you post some pics of your form & possibly photos of the complete bow unbraced, at brace, and full draw? I'd like to see the limbs bending and know what type of cores you are using along with methods used in lay up prior to making any suggestions.....

Hey! You asked for it.... I gotta have the nitty gritty to help you out.....

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Tradman
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Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2011 11:53 pm

Re: Goin nuts

#10 Post by Tradman »

heres the very first bow I ever built.
20160315_160657.jpg
IT'S NEVER WRONG TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT AND IT'S NEVER RIGHT TO DO WHAT'S WRONG....LOU HOLTZ

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