Help me work this stave please.

[JWMALONE]

Thanks Don, I'm short on virtues. I'm remember Mom beating some into me but I seemed to have misplaced most of them.
Yea I was thinking about when to heat treat, I want to treat the belly, flip the tips all in one shot. I'm almost close enough to check for any natural twist that may be there sorta get it all in one shot. That sound right.

[Eric Krewson]

Your bow is not 55# @ 13 " because you are on the long string, it is more like 55# @6" as that is the actual amount the limbs are bending. That is, if you are measuring draw like you have the bow pulled in the picture, long string and all.

[burchett.donald]

 JW,
       I would do so know... flip them tips and maybe go back to the long string for a while to see what those flipped tips do to the picture...It will shorten your working limb and give you a different look...the reason I say long string, is bracing at half inch with flipped tips may be difficult...I would move now on heat treating hickory...JMHO...You can always go back and heat "tweak any problems later"...
                                                                                                                                          Don

[JWMALONE]

Thanks Eric,  I understand the principle just don't have the hands on experience yet. I do have a good idea of were I'm at with it, to stiff to brace I'm sure but close.

[Pat B]

John, do you have a regular string made for this bow? Having a tiller string the same length as the bow will give you a better reading.

[bjrogg]

Ben it happens to most all of us. I like JW's fades or transitions. I'm glad you got to shoot your bow Ben. I know the feeling and broke my first bow to. I was so glad I got to shoot it though and learned so much from it. I also became hopelessly addicted to this stuff and was determined to make another much better one. The next time I started two just in case. It's a terrible feeling not having a bow to shoot. Now I've got a bunch. My best advice is to learn as much from this one as you can. See where it broke. If it had crystals and was taking set in that spot it probably was bending to much there. Next time start with a little longer stave or board. Try really hard to get all of it bending evenly. If you have access to any trees cut a bunch of staves and start drying them. Those kids bows are great to make. You need to make them bend evenly to and you'll have fun shooting them till you have another for yourself.
Welcome to the addiction
Bjrogg

[JWMALONE]

Ya lost me bjrogg, I think ya posted on the wrong thread. LOL

[JWMALONE]

Pat, this is a b-50 Flemish string I made for tillering. The top loop is just a bowline the bottom has a bowyer hitch. Ive been using it on the last few bows, its stretched good. I shot a few arrows with it on that last bow I made. I will make one today but I like to stretch my strings between two trees with ratchet straps for a day. Strings I learned to make as a kid, kinda set in my ways on those, but I'm open to any advice on tillering strings as I'm new to those. I figured a string with the least amount of stretch and the best fit was best?

[Pat B]

John, shorten that string up so it just fits the bow with as little sag as possible. That will give you a better reading than the longer string.
 I make all my bow strings with a standard loop in the top and bowyers knot on the bottom, all B-50. My initial tiller string is para cord. Once I start getting some bend I make a string for that bow(slightly long) and use it as the tiller string(shortened to just fit the bow) for that bow then when it's time for low brace I shorten it for that. Using the string like this also helps to pre-stretch it.

[JWMALONE]

Gotcha Pat, I used a bowline so the top loop is adjustable from bow to bow. I also had to use a stringer to get it on there. Its banjo string tight. I'm going to make a permanent one at lunch time.

[JWMALONE]

Ya ever feel like an idiot? It just came to me why this bow is still  so stiff at this point. Its not a board, its a stave and  its crowned on the back. Don't get me wrong I've been taking in to account the contours of the back when marking the sides and removing wood. But I was wondering why this bow being the narrowest I've made to date and at these thickness measurements was still so stiff, there is an extra 1/16 inch of wood in the center. I knew there was a darn good reason to go slow. Good news is, I may be an idiot but I haven't screwed it up.

[bjrogg]

Yup sorry wrong thread. Not sure how I did that.
Bjrogg

[JWMALONE]

Well guys, I got brave enough to brace it at 1.5 inches pulled to maybe 14 inches. Really haven't removed to much wood. I believe I'm at the point now that any major mistake will be catastrophic, until now I had wood to play with. So I will be down shifting from granny gear to congressional speed (yall know how slow that is right) Now that the tips are about as thin as they'll get I touched those up, got a new string for it on the stretcher, And may be doing some heat treating tonight. What do you guys think.

[willie]

JW

knowing when to shift into low, with out spending an eternity on a way too thick section is a skill that does not come easy.

lookin good.

[Pat B]

John, how is the weight and how does the string track down the bow?