Yowch, I switched to jute because it would snap before the wood breaks if I over-tension it. Not left it tight though, so possible it would still break as the wood moves under tension.
I'd blame the kids first. No kids? blame the wife, she was probably trying to open a can of latex with one of your best chisels and was beating on it with the saw handle.... (at least in my family 😀)
At first glance I have to wonder Why? Was there a flaw in the arm that finally gave way? I don't think that most straight grained wood could react like this. The grain here does look straight, so who knows. In any event, I never leave any of my tools under stress, I believe stress on materials always changes them somewhat.
Well, the dewpoint outside went from in the 50s to single digits F in a couple weeks. And the ash I used for my bow saws was relatively straight grained, but I’ve found a few cracks over time. These were cheap boards brought from MN. In any case, I think I need to get in the habit of releasing the tension on them before I put them away.
