C'mon, Bob! Wood bows aren't all THAT bad.Most of them give you plenty of warning before they bust you in the chops. And most don't ever bust you, they just kinda give up and fold over. There are the few exceptions though, the ones that'll give you a big, sudden surprise.[:-]

Put a backing on a wood bow, like bamboo, rawhide or even silk or linen, and that reduces the chances of breakage dramatically. I haven't tried sinew yet, but that stuff sounds like pure gold as a bow backing.

The last one I had snap in my hands was an unbacked bow. I'd shot, set the bow on the bow rack and was coming back from the target with my arrows, when I noticed what looked like a hinge in the lower limb. Picked the bow up and, sure enough, it was hinged right below the grip, and the tiller was all outta whack. It was a bright day and the bow was casting a perfect shadow. So,using the shadow,I decided to see what the tiller looked like at full draw. I was pulling it back, slowly, and watching the shadow when...

KAPLOOIEY!

I stood there wondering who threw the grenade for a second or two, until it sunk in what had happened. Immediately thereafter, feeling seemed to return to my body andI had to lay down on the groundto writhe in agony for a minute, wishing I'd worn a cup that day instead of tidy-whities.[&:]

Really ticked me off because that was the best shooting bow I'd made, to that point, since starting back to making wood bows. Still got the shards. I figure the top end is gonna make an atlatl someday.