String alignment

[woodswalker]

Ok here is my issue. Almost at target weight but my string is not through center of handle. Am I correct in thinking I can take a little off the belly on one side of the limb to bring the string back towards center? Also someone please remind me which limb is supposed to be slightly stiffer top or bottom? ( I shoot split fingers, if that makes a difference ). Thanks

[bubby]

Taking some off one side when the thickness is uneven wilhelp if you have twisted limbs related to the thickness
Not to move the string over got pics?

[woodswalker]

Will try get some up tomorrow. Just read also about using grease and heat, but will the grease add moisture and will it need to dry?

[Weylin]

You might be able to heat up the handle and bend it there. a little movement there will make a big difference in the string alignment. The advantage of bending it in the handle is that you don't have to worry about the heat effecting the working limb.

[Mark Smeltzer]

You can move the string left and right by removing wood from one side or the other of the limb

[Mark Smeltzer]

I usually do as weylin says bend it in the handle or as you originally suggest and romove one side of the  belly more than the other to move the string.

[chamookman]

I always liked having the string track slightly off to one side - the arrow pass side that is  . Bob

[Dances with squirrels]

Don't add grease or oil. I have made hundreds of dry heat corrections without it and never had an issue.

Only thin one side of a limb if it's thicker than the other and THAT is the cause of twist and misalignment.

If using heat to adjust it, I determine where to heat and bend by where it appears it needs it most. Compare its alignment unstrung to its braced alignment. That may tell you something. If the limbs look straight individually, I bend at the handle. If a limb has a long sweeping bend to it, I'll heat the entire limb with a gallon jug of water or other suitable weight hanging from the tip... as you heat it, and as it gets hot enough, the weight will make the correction. If you stand a tape measure up on the floor in the locked position with its end even with the bow tip, you can easily gauge your effect.

[Eric Krewson]

Heating the handle  is the way to go. I have never had much luck thinning one side of a limb to move the string over except with bamboo backed bows. I don't sweat misalignment, if my limbs are pretty even side to side, out comes my heat gun. You may sight down the limb and see a little dogleg you can take out, bend the handle or tweak the tips, works every time.

Early on I tried wood removal from the weak side and found out you can end up with a limb that is really thin on one side and still not move the string very much.

[woodswalker]

Alright thanks guys I'll get right on that. So as far as stiffer limb which should be stiffer and by how much? Thanks again.

[Eric Krewson]

If you shoot three under your limbs normally will be tillered even to 1/8" positive on the top limb.Shooting split finger I usually end up with 1/8" to 3/8" positive on the top limb. I start at 1/8", watch my arrow flight and adjust the tiller to have minimum hand shock and perfect arrow flight.

[Dances with squirrels]

I won't answer that because IMO the tiller measurement should be a final result not a goal, and depends on how the bow is designed, I.e. symmetrical or asymmetrical, how it's gripped, any internal or external disparities between the limbs, etc.

As such, I've made bows for both three under and split that after the limbs were tillered and syn'd, were tillered even... i dont worry about those measurements, or even take them, until the bow is completed and ready to shoot... any only then to gauge whether things change during shooting in.

[Pappy]

What Eric said on both counts, is what I do also. DWS that is true ,BUT if the brace tiller is right most of the time the other will be also, [ exception being a character stave] and if it is off at least by much then most times the full draw tiller will be also ,at least that have what I have observed. 
   Pappy

[George Tsoukalas]

Why is the string off center?

When you designed the bow did the string track center?

I often will clamp a string on both tips to see if it tracks on the handle area of the stave.
If not I know to heat it to track it. If yes and d it is off center then I caused it by uneven wood removal so I even it off and then some if necessary.

I remember I was gifted a beautiful yew stave by Jim Fetrow. I clamped a string on both tips. Perfect. You can imagine the pressure I felt!
I almost never use calipers to insure even wood removal on both sides of a limb. Well, I did on that one. Very even wood removal.

When I strung it for the first time it was a leaner! Wood is not uniform. The string was way off the handle on one side.
How did I fix it?
Very easy. A few scrapes on both sides of the OTHER side, while the stave was strung, brought it to center.

Jawge