Walkie-talkie stick

[Hartung]

I build a walkie talkie stick two years ago and lost it. Does anybody know how to construct it? I think that its length is 6”. But I don’t remember how far the four spines have to point out of the stick.

Thanks for your help.

[markinengland]

Hartung,
Any stick will do. If it is 6 inches or so long, with at least one straight side you can look at the arc created and thus assess weak and stiff points. I have an Ipe stick ( a bit off an overlong stave) about 8 inches long with a bolt in the middle. The bolt is threaded through the timber. i can adjust the amount the bolt sticks out for the basic bend I am after and then see where it rocks and where it doesn't. it's dead simple to make one and it doesn't matter too much how long it is.
A little while ago a saw a little tillering device on ebay. Made of brass, about 4 inches long, it had an adjustable pencil lead in the middle so it marks where the bow limb is stiff!
Mark in England

[tom sawyer]

Dean Torges came up with that, try bowyersedge.com for instructions.

I personally use a credit card or drivers license, somehting more like 3 or 4".  It gives a narrower gap but you can get a more localized read on the bend this way.

Another fellow (whose name escapes me at the moment) came up with the idea to put a pencil in a hole in the center of the stick, and set the dpth so anything shallower automatically gets marked by the pencil.  I thought that was handy, but haven't made one.

[venisonburger]

I may be the only person to ask this question, but up here in the UP of Michigan we don't use walkie talkie sticks, but I'm dying to know what the heck it is, post a pic if you have one.
VB

[DanaM]

one yooper to another I'm with ya VB what is it some new fangled type of communication eh!

DanaM

[Jbell]

Here is a picture of mine, sorry about the bad pic. Mine is a about 4" with a hole drilled in the middle just big enough for the pencil to slip through, you can use a set screw but I found that if it is tight enough It works easier. I use this during the long string tillering stage to get things bending evenly down to about brace heigth. Basically just get your bow bending and place your stick where it is bending the most on the limb, adjust pencil til It almost touches and then run It up and down the limb, where there is pencil marks is where you take off wood. Once your bending  evenly you can start goin for draw weight, occasionly checking with the stick to see any small hinges that may have occured. Really is super easy to use and makes some great tillerd bows. Catch is you better be working with some straight wood, as in no kinks or character or It is pretty useless. Works best on backed bows.

 Also ,I better give props to Eric Krewson for making Dean Torges' walkie talkie even better. Pretty sure that is who Lennie was talking about.

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[DanaM]

Thanks for the enlightenmen, it should be perfect for board bows.

Dana

[tom sawyer]

Krewson, yes thats who I was trying to think of.

And Dean's has some screws or something on each end that you can set depth for, or something like that.

[venisonburger]

Now I know what it is, I've seen them on other posts, here I was thinking it was some kind of australian noise making device that you swing over your head. (I saw that on crocodile dundee, guess that isn't what it was called.)
VB