Hope this makes you feel better. The kind folks in this group have been helping me for the last 8 months on a Lancaster rifle build. Has been perfect up to a misplaced drill hole in the tang, which I fixed. Got everything fixed, shined the brass and browned the barrel, put 12 coats of tung on the highly carved stock. Turned out fantastic. I was putting on the toe plate as the last thing before shooting. While reaching for a screw, the rifle fell off the bench, hitting the toe and splitting a big chunk off of the toe right where the screw for the butt plate entered the wood. Then, rifle forestock fell down, hit the cement with a ramrod ferrule, and split the fore end right in the middle down the ramrod groove. I'm surprised you didn't hear me hollering from where you live. Fixed it with some superglue and a few hidden screws under the toe plate. I can still tell that it was buggered, but if I didn't tell you, you might not find the repairs. Man that figured wood can split, but you can fix it.
Lisle George