Tillering for max weight

[DC]

Yesterday I collected a nice OS stave that's about an inch in diameter at the handle. I started wondering about how high a draw weight I could get from in. Then I started wondering how the tillering would differ from tillering to a specified weight. It seems to me that you would start at the handle and work out, tillering for shape more than anything. Does that sound about right? Could it be compared with tillering a warbow? All this depends on me managing to season an OS in the round and having it stay intact.

[WillS]

Can't speak for OS having never used it, but tillering for maximum weight with warbows is pretty much all I do at the moment.  I start with dimensions from medieval bows as thats what I make, rough out the stave, check the dimensions again and then essentially finish the bow, rounding the edges, sanding smooth, fitting nocks etc, all before even long string tillering.

Then I start to tiller, and assuming we're talking about full compass, bendy handle bows I tiller the mid-limb and fade area until the tips are moving by about 7" (because when the bow is fully braced the tips move a lot more) then fit a braced string almost at full brace and complete tiller to maximum length (30" for instance) making sure the middle starts to move towards the very end.

Provided the tiller looks good the weight is irrelevant as there's always somebody out there who needs a bow at whatever that weight may be.  I much prefer this to making a bow to a specific weight.

[JonW]

Although I dont make warbows(yet), I do the same. Tiller the bow and then let it be that. You can, with enough experience, get real close to a desired weight.

[Badger]

    I do it similar to Wills, one minor difference is that I check my mass weight going in to decide how much weight I want to go for. Once I start tillering I monitor the condition of the wood constantly, which just means I want to be aware when the bow starts to drop weight just because I am drawing it further( same as set but shows up a little earlier).  I like to get the entire working portion of the limb bending as evenly as possible going into first brace because it wil still be heavy at that point and I can fine tune my tiller shape as I drop weight.

[DC]

I have no problem(touch wood) hitting my desired weight with normal tillering, but with this one I want to get the most I can just to see how heavy a 1" OS bow can be. Right now the stave is a sapling, round, 3/4" at the top, 1" at the handle,1 1/2" at the bottom and 76" long. I'm thinking I would start by making the bottom half look like the top half, same dimensions and then start floor tillering to get them bending somewhat evenly. One thing I'm concerned with is how much weight can I pull it to when I don't have a target weight? Any bow I've made so far I have a target weight and don't pull it past that on the tree.

[wizardgoat]

Don, I've only made 1 bow over 80#, and 1 over 70#, so I'm not so experienced. Floor tillering is tough, you really gotta lean into them. It's a good idea to use a caliper to maintain a dead on thickness taper. I've heard 2mm every 6" is a good start.

[Badger]

    At 1" around and 76" long I doubt heavy will be an issue, It may not hit over about 50# or 60#. Are you planning on cutting it shorter?? Just make it look like a bow and get it flexing, check the physical weight of the stave at that point and I can give you a good idea what to expect.

[willie]

DC

Steve gave me some good pointers on a similar project a while back


http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,54581.0.html

willie

[DC]

Thanks guys. I really have no idea what weight to expect. Unfortunately I'll have to wait a year just to see if I have something to work with. The length was just to give you an idea of what the stick looked like. It will probably be down in the high 60's when I'm finished. I'm thinking the weight should be substantial. I'm remembering some of the heavy little OS sticks that Zion used to post. I'll take you up on that Steve but don't hold your breath, just getting this seasoned will be a feat. I've got two of then so that up's the odds a bit.

[Jodocus]

just be sure you always know where the weakest spot is and taper evenly from there, will give you the heaviest bow the stave has to offer. 

[Selfbowman]

Looks like I tiller close to Badger. Only that's the way I do it on 50 #bows . I don't build heavy bows cause I am old and weak. arvin

[make-n-break]

Is OS ocean spray or Osage? A 1" Osage can be made pretty heavy but I've never used Ocean Spray before. Made an osage recently that's 1" wide, 54" ntn, bendy handle, that pulls 75#.

[DC]

Ocean Spray.