The Mechanics of Limb Twisting Explained - An Experiment

[Strongbow]

Like others have been saying this seemed so counter intuitive to me, but after the visual demo it makes sense.  I successful duplicated the experiment to see it first hand.  Being new to making bows this will be a big help.  Thanks 4est Trekker!

[Prarie Bowyer]

I tried the little experiment on a scrap from a belly and it bent straight .

I'm looking at my bow and I had the twist going out... then I flipped it around cause I'm smart enough to remember which end is which dontcha know, and I made it worse.

So on the tree it's flat.  I pull the cord nad the rt. limb (not marked with tape)flexes slightly away from me as it goes down and twists. 

So to fix this I need to scrape either the SIDE that it is flexing toward on the belly a bit closer to the riser OR the side opposide the flex direction?

[jpitts]

I'm printing this. This has been a monkey on my back from the get go.
Thanks 4est.

[briarjumper12]

I am saving it to print also.  I don't know how many times I've set in my shop staring at a twisted limb trying to remember which way I fixed the last one.  Thanks !!!!

[Jodocus]

haha, I'm glad I only just started bowmaking! I had encountered this on my first bow already. I felt I had to weaken one side of the limb. I had no idea wich one.

Thanks, that would have taken me a while...

Wait... which side do I have to weaken again?..

[coyote1956]

ttt good post and info, just found it, Ken

[IndianKid]

I love this thread, every time I get confused I revisit it! My mental dexterity is shot,
and sometimes I have an awful tough time seeing my bow limb twist a little on the tillering tree and
for the sake of all that's holy wish I could keep it in my mind, what the dang thick side is !!

So, for once and all, to be 100% sure...

When my straight stick with no propeller gets a little twisty as the string is pulled
down on the tree (belly pointed down, back is up), is it safe to say that the the edge thats
higher is the thick side

Cleaning up and putting the bendy stick away till i know Im not making it worse!

[crooketarrow]

 Like GEORGE said we builld wood self bows not FG bows. Where a stwist or knot means something to the man thats made it.

 I use'lly do not have that problem to much. I pick good staves but I know eveyone can't do this.
 As long as the swist is'nt to bad. I correct by removeing wood from the strong side. or if it's a little worse. When I cut in the nock I'll leave the strong side hight high in the string gruve.

  If it's any worse than that since I don't heat moveing parts. I'll find another stave.  Heating a bow 10 times might make the profile look good. But it won't stay there with any time. Every time woods heated it changes cell strucker at that spot. If it's at a stress spot it won't stay very long at the spot where you bent it.

  Even hard woods like osage that takes heat well. The bows still not as good as it could be.

 I'm not say you have'nt built a nice looking bow you have. A slower process you could do the same with out heat. I just ruff out to bow form green and put in a caul while still green. With a 2 2 1/2 inch reflex added. I can keep most of my bows to 1/2 reflex to straight to 1/2 string follow.

  NO HEAT.

CROOTETARROW BUILT SELFBOWS FOR OVER 50 YEARS. The last 20 he did like this. YOU CAN'T BUILD A BETTER SELF BOW FOR EXDURANCE.

  I have 3 personal bows14,17,18 years old. Built like this I've retired, I shoot now and then. There the same as when they were built. They had at least 50 to 100,000 shots through them.

[PatM]

If you change the shape of the bow while green you're changing the structure too.
 Heat is fine. We have heated bows shooting just fine years and thousands of shots later as well.

[IndianKid]

pat, the bow isnt green.. 

crooketarrow
you remove wood from the strong side, which side of the limb is that (Higer or lower) ?

[paco664]

thank you for this...

[PatM]

pat, the bow isnt green.. 

crooketarrow
you remove wood from the strong side, which side of the limb is that (Higer or lower) ?

That was a response to crooketarrow's ranting.
 Your question is answered very clearly on this thread. Very clearly.

[Pappy]

Yep, something about heat he don't like,  ::)must have had a bad experience with it somewhere in his passed. Yes this is a very good thread that explains it well. Thanks.
 Pappy

[bradsmith2010]

thank you

[loefflerchuck]

Thanks for putting this where I can find it. Dam dyslexia! I can never remember.