long string vas short string poundage??

[Don Case]

I'm puzzled(as usual). How are you guys measuring draw length on the long string? Where are you measuring from? If you are measuring from the back of the bow doesn't the length of the long string enter into it?
Thanks
Don

[George Tsoukalas]

I measure string travel. Mark where it starts and measure down ten inches. There are buildalongs on my site. I will find the right one ASAP.

[Badger]

  I measure just as if the bow is braced regardless of the length of the string or how far it is hanging down within reason. My string usually hangs down anywhere from 4" to 10". If I measure it at 50# at 24 with the loose string I get about the same measure if it were braced even though the limbs are moving much different amounts. Closest method I have found and easy to check using a long string and a finsihed bow.

[Del the cat]

Thought I'd chip in.
All this is just how I do it, I've read all the other posts and of course all methods work and we all have our little quirks.
I don't claim it's right or original.
1. Long string should only be just long enough to get on the bow, this keeps the geometry closer to the braced geometry. (A very long string is almost pulling straight down rather than down and in towards the middle)
2. You have to measure something, I go by tip deflection. Once they are coming back about 7" or so (pulling to full target draw weight*), I'll go to a short string (low brace... say 4-5")...
After that it's business as usual.

* Full target draw weight on a long string is a lot less than the same weight pulled on a short (braced) string.
There is a long and tedious discourse on the subject of long string poundage needed to brace a bow on my blog here:-
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/yew-stick-bow-and-draw-weight-to-brace.html
Don't come running to me if you regretted reading it!
Del

[Pappy]

I have never weighted on on the long string,of course I use a tiller stick until I get it to brace with a long string just long enough to get it attached, I move down the stick 1 inch at a time and when tips look close I stretch a string tip to tip to simulate what it will look like at brace,when it is ready I brace maybe 4 inches and go to the tiller tree. Everyone has their way that works and this does for me.
 Pappy

[George Tsoukalas]

Don C, here's my site where I go through long string tillering the way I do it. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/boardbowbuildalong.html

[Badger]

  Del, this could make a great topic for a video, we all have methods that work for us. I may prove myself wrong when I do this but I though of a simple test that could make a short but cool video. I take a finished bow and brace it. I check the draw weight at 3 different brace heights about 1" apart. Now I take that same bow and I hang 3 strings on it, one of them hangs down about 4" another 8" and another 12". I simply measure the weight at 28" or so with each one of these strings and see how much difference it makes. I have actually done this and I was surprised how close to the same they all read. A video will support or destroy what I said.

  The only reason I would have for argueing this method is beause I feel like it is easy to explain and easy to repeat. We all have things we do that work that are hard to explain. I feel one of the worthwhile challenges of primitve bow making is finding ways to explain things that work so others can try it out and either shoot it full of holes or agree with it.

[Badger]

  Jawge, one thing I will never forget is reading your web site 15 or so years ago is what got me making bows that didn't break. I had been making bows for a few years and putting fiberglass cloth on the back of most of them to keep them from breaking. I read Jawges web sight and my whole world suddenly changed. So if you see us going back and forth it doesn't mean we don't respect each other, it just means we like to argue!

[George Tsoukalas]

Steve, thanks for the kind words.

Of course, I am not in any way offended.

I'm Greek we invented argumentative discourse!

I also have a science background and peer review is important.

Jawge

[George Tsoukalas]

Perhaps, the best piece advice I can give a beginner is to have a plan that will take one from a floor tillered stave to a strung stave. It can be a reduce the weight by feel approach or something else seen here.

It can be a plan obtained from someone or one developed specifically for that person.

Anything to avoid a willy nilly rush to the string is good.

Jawge

[IdahoMatt]

I like vids.  I think you should badger.

[tattoo dave]

Well this post went way beyond what I expected. Good stuff though fellas.

Tattoo Dave

[mwosborn]

  Del, this could make a great topic for a video, we all have methods that work for us. I may prove myself wrong when I do this but I though of a simple test that could make a short but cool video. I take a finished bow and brace it. I check the draw weight at 3 different brace heights about 1" apart. Now I take that same bow and I hang 3 strings on it, one of them hangs down about 4" another 8" and another 12". I simply measure the weight at 28" or so with each one of these strings and see how much difference it makes. I have actually done this and I was surprised how close to the same they all read. A video will support or destroy what I said.

I really would like to see the results of this!  I would hypothesis that there would be little difference in draw weight between the 3 different brace height about 1" apart.  However, as you unbrace the bow and allow the string to hang down from the bow the draw weight will progressively decrease as the "hang down" length increases.  Of course as you approach a hang down length equal to your draw length (28"), the draw weight would be "0".  I would be very interested in looking at a graph of the hang down length vs. draw weight - I bet it would be a nice "curve" that the smart math people could explain with some equation!