first bow, first tiller, (buckthorn) help please.

[Eric Kol]

hey folks,
I'm just starting to tiller my first bow ever (so try not to laugh when you see the pics). I need some advice before I get too carried away.
bow is 53.5" tip to tip
buckthorn
just under 2" at the widest
I left the tips thick in case this might help the cast of a short bow like this. If this is fallacy, let me know. as you can see the wood has plenty of waves and knots. Pretty cool to work with on my first bow ever. I hope it shoots a few  before it explodes in my hand!
Please give me some advice and be brutally honest! (the nocks are temp and will have overlays)thanks, Eric

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[Eric Kol]

Oh yeah, the bow has just over 2" of natural set back!.


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[sonny]

looks like a potential hinge a few inches from the tip on the right limb in that partially drawn pic.
I couldn't make out the grip to see if it's non-working but if so I'd make it (the grip, that is) as short as possible, since you have only 53".
what draw length are you going for ??

[Eric Kol]

the grip is about 4 1/2". I'm aiming for about 45lbs @ 28" draw. That spot looks toublesome to me too, but the lim thickens quite a bit there too. If I were to thin that out it might not look the same.

[sonny]

I'd mark that spot and not touch it 'til you get the inner part of the limb bending a bit more.
I typically mark such places in pencil with an X or two as a reminder not to mess with it.

[Kegan]

Looks liek it'll be tricky for a first bow- are you going to back it with something for security?

[Eric Kol]

I wasn't planning on backing it. The outer ring has not ben compromised. If I do end up backing it I was thinking rawhide or silk. I guess I hope to shoot a few arrows with it, but as a first bow I mostly want to get the process down and get an eye and feel for the work. If (when) it pops I won't cry...... but then again I don't want to loose a tooth or an eye! I'll probably learn more from a break than otherwise.

[Kegan]

Good point. And I like the rhyming .

[Pat B]

That will be a difficult bow for anyone to tiller but if you pull it off, you are definitely on your way. So far you are doing fine. I would do as Sonny suggests and allow the handle area to bend a bit. That can happen during the last few inches of the draw. Ultimately you will want your tips as small as you feel safe making them. The less tip weight(physical) the faster your bow will be and the less hand shock. By leaving them thick, you can reduce the width and decrease the tip weight without loosing its strength. I usually wait until the very end to shape my handles and tips.      Pat

[NOMADIC PIRATE]

Looks like you're having fun, and nothing bad will come out of this, I like you're attitude,..."well if it blows it's O.K." I don't think anyone should take the first bow to seriously, keep going you're on the right track

[DanaM]

Eric do you have a tiller tree? They help keep important body parts out of the way

Tough stave for a first try, go slow, take yer time and have patience is the best advice I can give ya.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Marc St Louis]

You should always get the inner part of the limbs to bend first and keep the outer limbs stiff till the last. You should not touch both outer limbs as they both look weak.

[Eric Kol]

I see what you mean about the weak tips. They are marked for hands off untill the end (if it makes it that far).
here are pics from a little tillering today, trying to make the bend more even through the handel.
i see smothing the transition from mid limbs to near the begining of the ends as a next step, as they look like they need to loose some bulk. What do you all think?
AND.thanks so much for taking the time to resopnd to the thread. This is the first bow I've worked on. I have never seen a bow made in person nor even shot a self or primitive bow. this whole thing is ground up for me.

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[NOMADIC PIRATE]

It's looking real good to me, you're doing fine.

[Ryano]

that looks better but I still see weak spots about 6" from each tip.