A little help with tillering?

[Squirrelslayer]

ok so im going to be working on a hickory bow and where i always go wrong with a bow is the tillering. im ok with the removing wood bit but im unsure about the acctual excersining the limbs or training it to bend. what i have been doing is flexing the bow 50 times inch by inch and then moving onto the next one. if there were any stiff spots id remove wood. (haven't had a hinge yet!) so my question is am i doing it right or do i leave it at each inch interval for 15 mins? but i think that would make it take set  (oh im using a tillering stick. heres a video of it i made).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv1SQRVFiPw

any advice on how to "exercise" the limbs would be great and much appriciated. thanks in advance. SS

[bow101]

I think Pappy has a Tillering tree/stick posted on here somewhere. His design would be about what anyone is after I would think. The problem with your tree is those dowels sticking proud. A notched design is more forgiving. 

[PAHunter]

Hi, in my amature opinion you are doing it right.  I also pull about 50 times an inch but I do not leave it pulled on the tillering tree any longer than needed.  Particurally when I get over 17 inches or so I try to avoid leaving it drawn for an extended period.  Sometimes I run back and take a picture and then look at it on the PC.  Once it's close to done and the tiller looks good I leave it braced (just by the string) for an hour to "settle in".  Not sure if that's doing it right but it seems to be working.  Best of luck!

[bushboy]

Uhhhh,where's the bow?

[Weylin]

There is a variety of opinions about exercising limbs. I know that a lot of people swear by it but there are many experienced bow makers that I respect who dont go out of their way to exercise the limbs anymore than they need to to see the bend. I'm not trying to start a big debate (though I don't mind hearing different opinions) but I just thought I'd say that there are people who tiller bows very well without cranking the limbs a set number of times when they take wood off. Something to think about.

[Squirrelslayer]

Uhhhh,where's the bow?

im going to get the wood today (hopefully) it's just i wanted some advice on the tillering. i think where i went wrong was i was pulling it 50 times from the previous inch and not the "relaxed possition" where the bow is not under tension if you know what i mean. thanks for the great advice guys!  SS