Elm selfbow tiller in angst

[Nate]

This is my first bow in quite a while and I've only made a few bows in the past successfully. It's an Elm self bow that 68 inches tip to tip 67 inches nock to nock. The limbs are 2 inches at the fades and the limb tips are stiff and narrow as is the 12 inch non bending handle . The stave had some propeller twist so I decrowned the high side on both limbs. It's drawing about50# at twenty inches right now but I probably have it braced a bit high(6 inches)  I'm  continually second guessing myself on the tiller. Would anybody out there have advice? I'd appreciate any input.
                                      Thanks      Nate

[Nate]

And , by the way, the subject line was sopposed to read  "tillering angst".   Stupid predictive text gets me all the time.

[burchett.donald]

Nate,
          Looks like you could tweek them fades a little...The left fade has some reflex in the unstrung photo but I would get them moving a little more now...
                                                                                                                                 Don

[Dances with squirrels]

Are you pulling the string on the tree from the same spot you'll be pulling it by hand? If not, I can offer nothing in good conscious.

[Nate]

Yeah. I am pulling from where I figure my arrow nock will be. This is my first bow with a tillering tree so I've tried to read up on proper technique. I just used a tillering stick before.
From what I understand I want it to follow the vertical line that   I've marked an inch and a half from "center".
I'm curious to see if following this technique will eliminate the excessive set in the lower limb that I always seemed to end up with before. I think it probably is stiff near the fades. I'm just so paranoid of weakening it there and ending up with massive set. I know I should just make shavings , but I get so nervous that I'm gonna screw it up.

[H Rhodes]

I don't blame you for being hesitant on the fades, but I do agree with Don that it might need a few more scrapes on the limb to the left in your photo.  I would thin those levers the least bit too and then see where you are at that point.  Have you heat treated it?

[crooketarrow]

  It has to long handle section. Takes leanth away form each working limb can causes some hand shock. Shorter limbs, means more set and string follow. And it tiller sucks had more hand shock to those heavy limbs.  Thats not the part of the limb you want to shorten.

  Tips are to heavy. Heavy tips slows down cast and it causes hand shock.

  Sorry not cheerful words. 
 
   JUST HOW I SEE IT. OR THE WAY I HAVE WOULD BUILD IT.

[Nate]

Thanks for the input.  No, Rhodes, I haven't heat treated it yet. Thought I would take my tiller a little closer to finished weight before I did that.
I'm wondering why in the world I laid it out with a 12 inch stiff handle. I cut this tree quite a few years ago and roughed out the stave then. Live and learn.
  The tips are super bulky right now Crooketarrow.  I figured I'd reduce them and the handle to finished dimensions once I have the tiller further along.
Oh well , it will be the first bow I've finished since I got married, as long as I don't break it that is.
Thanks again for the advice.        Nate

[H Rhodes]

Take a rasp to that handle if you don't like it.    You have lots of length with that stave and I think it could end up a fine bow.  Most of the elm I have fooled with loved heat.  I usually start my toasting when I get to a low brace.  It is funny how life can get in the way of making bows huh?

[Nate]

Unfortunately I already narrowed the handle section significantly so I'm pretty limited in what I can do there. I did scrape the inner limbs to try and get the fade areas working a bit and thinned the outer limbs as well. The stiff levers I will reduce later on.
 I'm having a ball making shavings though. We've got three kids and finished paying the mortgage off last spring so it's time to start bending some wood again!
 I would post pics of my progress but our Internet is so sketchy here that I'm having a tough time uploading anything.

[TimBo]

When you say 12" handle, you are really talking about 3" fades and a 6" grip area, right?  I bet you can reduce the fades quite a bit and get that area working just a smidge.  My first bow had a similar setup, and I don't remember why I thought it was a good idea either!  Good luck!

[Nate]

You're right on the layout Timbo. I will try and get those fades working a smidgen. I'm going to try heat treating it right now. I just went back and read Marc St. Louis' chapter on heat treating in TBB4. When I was making a few bows back in the late 90s and early 2000s I hadn't even heard of heat treating so I'm excited ( and a little nervous) to give it a whirl.
 PA has been so amazing for me. I live way out in the boondocks and don't know a single other Bowyer in my area so to have the collective wisdom and experience of everybody on here is simply mind blowing.
       Thanks       Nate

[Nate]

Finished heat treating the stave. Wow, that took a long time. I need a hotter heat gun. Three hours per limb.