board bow question

[armymedic.2]

i just finished my first board bow about a week ago. i probably have about 40-50 shots throuh it, and it shoots great. my concern, is that every now and then as i come to draw i can hear a "tick" sound. i can see no splinters lifting, so i don't know what this means. should i be expecting it to break, or is the wood juts getting used to bending. it is 60 #, 72 inches long, and is backed with titebond/sheetrock tape. no matter how hard i look i can't find any cracks. please help, was hoping to take it to indiana huntin monday, but won't if its gonna break!

 

[Roy]

May be coming from the nocks. Sometimes the strings will tick a bit. Or it could be the glue and the backing. Good luck. :v

 

[PitchyPine]

They can break, maybe just the glue and backing like Roy said.
I do know that the ones that i made that broke did make a cracking noise before they let loose.
Hope it`s alright for ya.

 

[BillinOregon]

Medic: Good luck to ye. I made a nice board bow out of a piece of very straight-grained Oregon white oak a few years back and shot it for a couple of years. It was backed with silk shirt fabric in Titebond II. It finally let go on me without warning of any kind and I was very lucky to get by with just a cut shoulder. On the other hand I have a bigleaf maple flatbow a friend made that creaks and groans just looking at it, yet it just keeps on ticking. It's all part of life's rich pageant, I guess.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

My problems along those lines have been caused by being a little too generous with the glue during sizing and when applying the backing. I have never had a bow come apart yet but I understand your concerns.
If I were you I would use a good six power magnifying glass to check for any cracking present. If it still looks good I would take it on the hunt.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Sounds like you bow string nocks aren't cut a just the right angle and the string is catching the top edge of the nock when you draw the bow. If this is the case you will hear a little pop when the string jumps out of the groove slightly.

I put overlays on all my bows and mark the side grooves after stringing the bow with only a groove cut across the back of the nock.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Another thing, if you suspect a crack you can wipe a little dark stain down the back of the bow, any crack will become instantly visible.