Tillering a flipped tips? Recurve?

[wood_bandit99]

I have a bow I've just cut out and got bending and I heated .5" reflex then a 3" reflex at the tips. The thing that's making me angry is that I can't get it to stop twisting. The tips are making it twist. How do you guys tiller it? I just need to find a way to tiller it before I string it then I will be fine. Thanks

[Weylin]

You have to have to string alignment dead on. the tips can't be pulled to one side or the other or they will twist.

[turtle]

Do you mean it flips over backwards when you try to pull it with a long string? If thats what you mean then try clamping the handle solid to your tillering tree untill you have it bending enough to go to low brace. Be carefull though. Those highly reflexed bows are real easy to mess up and end up under weight before you even get to full brace hight. Ive only tried to do two of them so far and both were failures for me.

[Gordon]

Lateral stability is frequently an issue with narrow and reflexed tips. When I see a tip starting to lean to one side I take wood off the other to compensate. But it is easy to overdo it so be careful.

[H Rhodes]

The first time you brace a recurve is always tricky and string alignment gets to be a big issue.  I learned to leave my tips extra wide until I found where the string would track so that I have plenty of room to remove wood from the side that needs it.

[bushboy]

Sometimes the wood has a natural twist that won't go away,I've seen it often in maple self bows.the piece looks perfect until braced and I usually ruin the piece trying to compensate for it.

[mikekeswick]

As already said make 100 percent sure the tips are aligned. I usually use a jig that stops the tip uncurling and use my heatgun to heat it and then over correct it a little.
You definately don't want it to be way over weight when you first brace it but these sort of bows always seem very heavy early on.... remember that all that bending to brace doesn't get measured on the scale when tillering 
So it's a bit of a balancing act getting it close enough to finished weight that you don't over strain it whilst bracing but also not having it too light that you don't actually have room to tiller it after brace.
I use my vice to hold the bow early on and simply pull the tip by hand to check the bend - no string needed. You do need to devolp 'the feel' a bit though!

[BowEd]

All good comments said here.What I did was make myself a primitive stringer out of clothes line and beef rawhide type booties for the tips.Starting with 3/4" wide tips too.Reverse bracing gives me an indication whether the string will run down the center of limbs down center of handle.How much propeller is still in my limbs.Whether my tips are perpendicular with my handle etc.All this is best taken out before you recurve your tips to begin with.Most times all you can do is get it close and heat adjust it to get it to brace.Most times on the outer tips and recurve.The more reflex the more critical this alignment gets.Personally I've not started with more than 8 to 9 inches[that's sinewed too].That much reflex on a bare back is asking for quite a rodeo.Doing one limb at a time in a vice takes a good feel and eye to get the limbs the same at the same bend and I guess I could do it that way too.
I c clamp my handle to my tillering saddle,use my primitive stringer and pull the limb tips to handle height and beyond to see my bend.I put my digital pound tester on there to see how much poundage it takes to get that much bending.I will have my bow limbs floor tillered well or long string balanced before this so there is'nt a lot of wood removal to get them balanced. It's a balancing act to not take too much poundage off to get it to brace heigth.That's where most people go under weight on their bows.I usually don't go past 10 to 15 pounds over my intended draw weight to get the tips to brace height.Once the string is on there can be heat adjustments to do yet before you tiller.If your lucky not.Then it's just a matter of balancing both limbs and taking even amounts off both limbs keeping each bending nice to your draw weight.Good luck.

[artcher1]

Is this a board of stave bow? Art

[adb]

If your limb has prop twist, it's pulling towards the weaker side of the limb. Remove wood from the high side of the limb. When I'm making a recurve, I tiller it 80% finished and then I curve the tips.

[koan]

If your limb has prop twist, it's pulling towards the weaker side of the limb. Remove wood from the high side of the limb. When I'm making a recurve, I tiller it 80% finished and then I curve the tips.

+1

[wood_bandit99]

This is a osage stave bow. I think I will do what adb said and take the recurve out and then tiller it and put them back in. This is a stave that has some snake in it and I will get some pics up when it's done. I will have a ton of bows up by Christmas because I have a few orders. About 4 should be up by Christmas.

[dwardo]

If you already have the recurves in and then take them out, then back in you are putting the wood under a lot of stress.
Pop some pictures up and lets all have a look,

[adb]

This is a osage stave bow. I think I will do what adb said and take the recurve out and then tiller it and put them back in. This is a stave that has some snake in it and I will get some pics up when it's done. I will have a ton of bows up by Christmas because I have a few orders. About 4 should be up by Christmas.

I wouldn't do that. If you've already curved the tips, keep going.

[BowEd]

If you have a prop twist in your limb you still keep the sides an even thickness and take the prop out with heat.You don't have any sinew on it to worry about the heat affecting it.Sounds like you might have to do multiple heatings to get it in line.That's ok.It's hedge.Don't get in a hurry.Think everything through fully.