Tiller tool survey/opinions

[mullet]

 I don't use one. I pull it on the pully, eyeball the tiller and mark the flat spots with a pencil.

[artcher1]

I use to the method that Paul Comstock described in his book about "good tapering produces good tillering". So I literally try to apply a good taper, and let that produce the tiller I'm after. Not a tillering gizmo. No flat spots, no hinges and I don't have to exercise my bow to death to reach full draw............Art

[straightarrow]

I have used one on my last two bows and I like it alot. I use it at the beginning of tillering all the way up to my first brace hieght of 3" or so. Sometimes I will go back and check... later in tillering. Its great for identifying flat spots.  I think I would be lost without it now. I also use my cabinet scraper as a tilleing gizmo.

Jon

[Pappy]

I use a 3 in. straight edge,sometimes use the gizmo if it is a straight piece of wood ,but only till I get it braced,then my eye.
   Pappy

[Outbackbob48]

If I forget my gizmo, I use Ryano's eye, works great.

[Eric Krewson]

I have found that people who have trouble with the gizmo often over adjust it. When I am on the long string I adjust it one time to the deepest bend on a limb, make a full swipe of the limb I adjusted it to and then make a full swipe of the opposite limb with the same setting.  I want both limbs bending the same and a single gizmo adjustment is the way to get headed in that direction.

I readjust my gizmo as I increase brace height but still use one setting for both limbs.

When I am at the shooting stage on a bows tillering, past the point of getting a legible mark with the gizmo for extra fine tillering adjustments, I eyeball the tiny gap differences and mark the slightly stiff spots with a pencil. 

[snag]

Being new at this I have really relied on your invention Eric. Thanks, David

[Pat B]

I have found that with a bow with twisted limbs I can work Eric's gizmo down each side of each limb to show me where to remove wood to straighten out the limbs as they are being drawn while tillering.
  Most of my tillering is done by eye also but when I am confused about a situation I do use Eric's gizmo to confirm my decisions while tillering or to assist me in achieving good tiller.

[JackCrafty]

I don't use the tillering gizmo.  When I'm in the "zone" I try to keep everything simple and rely on my eye.  Might start using one, though.  Seems like it would save time and help reduce eye strain.

[Del the cat]

I don't use a gizmo, but I do use a vernier caliper (just got a digital one for my B'day ), the measurements are useful, but it's also very handy to lock the jaw and the nslide it down the limb watching as the gap between limb and jaw smoothly opens up.
With staves you still get the odd point which measures right but is too stiff or too weak due to the vaguaries af the wood, your eye has to be the final arbiter IMO.
Del