I need help

[bearbowman]

I've had this bow making bug for a few months now. I have tried 3 board bows. 2 of those have failed after a few weeks of hard shooting. Run off seemed to be the culprit on both of those.
I have also tried 2 staves as well. My stave bows have both ended up with one good limb and the other being a whip. I don't know how I keep doing this. It seems like everything looks great and then bam, there is a whip.
I feel like I am on the low end of the learning curve here. I read the threads on here about you guys making hundreds of bows with only a few failures and my failure rate is quite high. I do feel that I am learning something with every one but I can't seem to get past this whip thing.
What I am looking for is some advice on how to avoid this. I felt that I took more time on this latest bow than any other. I know I should buy the bowyers bible's, but at this point, that is not an option. I have a pretty good load of staves that I have aquired from different people that were cutting fire wood and the like. So I have a lot of practice laying around. I am willing to try anything.
Any and all advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[adb]

Patience. Don't linger with the long string... I don't use a long string at all. Build a tiller tree with a pulley system. Choose good wood. Use quality hand tools. When you can afford it, but TBB Vol 1. Strive for symmetry in your tillering. Go slow towards the end, sometimes a couple of scraps will make a difference.

[Dano]

Are you exercising the bow between wood removal? If not, that will cause a sudden change in tiller.

[GregB]

The two replys above are both excellant! Make sure your wood is good and dry. As Dana mentioned, flex the bow limbs 30 times or so between each scrapping using a tillering tree like adb mentioned. Never pull your bow at any time past what you want the finished draw weight to be.

Take your time and reduce the amount of material you remove each time and check your limbs more often using the tillering tree. It is easy to take too much off and you can't put it back on. Gradually work up to where you want the limbs to be through many sessions of less scrapping instead of trying to do a lot of scrapping and then checking to see where you are. Again...go slow and be patient. You'll get faster after many successful bows and added confidence. Don't know that you're making any of the error's I've mentioned...just trying to keep you from making some of the mistakes that I've made in the past....

[Parnell]

I'm about 8 months in and had loads of breaks for several months.  I was trying to make a specific combination of wood work (hickory or maple backed Ipe).  I became frustrated and found I was having chrysaling in bows of red oak, maple from the superstore, and the before mentioned combo.  I found some thick hickory boards and have been using hickory with great success.  Biggest thing, I slowed down.  The pully system  is key for me.  Also, just a few scrapes then exercising limbs and really checking the tiller.  I found that photographing the bow early enabled me to see what was going on with tillering mo'betta.  Transferring a photograph onto the computer and opening with the paint application and using the ellipse function to check the curve was key for me for a couple months.  I'm finding over the last couple of months I can see what's happening without all that now, but I'm glad I did that.  I think it trained me to see where bends and stiffnesses are occouring. 
What are you using for a scraper?  Reading TBB1 did make a huge difference in my success rate...
If you can't buy the book, you should go to your local Mega-bookstore and have them order the book in.  It's free and you don't have to buy it.  The book will most likely sit on the shelf of the store for long enough for you to get a cup of coffee sit down in one of their big chairs and read the necessary chapters and take a few notes.  Nobody will give it a second thought.
Hope this helps.

Parnell

[knightd]

Where are you from? Maby one of us live close and could get togather with you and help you out?.

[bearbowman]

I am using a pulley system. I do think I'm not excercising my limbs enough between scrapings.

I live in York Pa. It's in the south central part of the state. I do believe that having someone experienced guide me a little would go a long way.

thank you

[Bullitt]

Yes, all good info. How about the Bent Stick from Paul Comstock, pretty cheap info? Are you going to Denton Hill? Alot of demos on selfbows there. Steve

[Herm from Bavaria]

i had the same problem with a maple bow. the problem was the too long tiller string. with a to long tiller cord, which causes a too big angle at the tips, force works in another direction as on the strung bow. so you´ll get whip ends.

greets

[Eric Krewson]

Did you use a tillering gizmo on your failed attempts?

[yazoo]

have you tried hickory or osage,, staves not boards,  I dont think board bows is a good place to start for your first few bows,they are very finicky, with grain,

[bigcountry]

I am using a pulley system. I do think I'm not excercising my limbs enough between scrapings.

I live in York Pa. It's in the south central part of the state. I do believe that having someone experienced guide me a little would go a long way.

thank you

Bear, I a in westminster, MD, about 45Min-1hour.  If I was a little better, I would help you out.  But I too struggle.  But for me, its mostly my bows coming out light. 

There's a guy near DC that gives a 3 day class.  He's pretty good.  But he's big on primitive and doesn't like things like a "tillering gizmo" or tiller trees.  He wants to do it all by sight and with as little tools as possible.   I took his class.  It helped a lot.

He is a non-profit organization called ancestral knowledge.  He has a webpage and a class coming up in Aug or Sept.  Just google ancestral knowledge.

[chessieboy]

PM sent


Bill

[radius]

amigos, if you are coming in underweight, it could mean not enough exercising the wood between wood removal.  Use a scale, be consistent in your chosen draw weight, and never pull the stave past that weight.  Gradually, you will be able to pull it to that weight at greater and greater draw lengths.  It is important to get the bow arcing properly BEFORE trying  to tiller it to full draw.  Once you have the even bend, at desired draw weight but minimum draw length, you can finesse the tiller out to wherever you plan to take it. 

[Gordon]

My guess is that you are spending too much time on the long string. A long string will hide tips that bend too much unless you know how to recongnize the signs.