Roller coasters and whoop dee doos why!!!!!!

[aznboi3644]

Man oh man these things are the death of me.  I feel like I have a good eye for a tiller on a nice clean straight stave either split or board.  But dang do the roller coasters and whoop dee doos are the death of me.

I have a couple staves with a very pronounced roller coaster on one limb.  Two deflected areas and two reflexes areas all about 6-7” long transition between one to the other.  I already don’t have the best eyesight even with glasses.  People ask me if I’m near sighted or far sighted but I’m more no sighted.  I can’t see my glasses if they fall off my face LMFAO. I have to get on my hands and knees to find my glasses. 

Anywho are there any tips or tricks for these characters?  I have one stave I’ve been staring at for months.

[RyanY]

I use my fingers a lot, feeling the thickness taper. There’s a level of trust knowing that an even taper result in a good bend.

[Hamish]

Calipers to check the thickness tape,r to avoid weak spots are essential for high character staves.

Patience, and having photo's of the stave before you started tillering are pretty important too.

[Selfbowman]

I’m with Ryan. If your vision is not good . Feel the bow from end to end as soon as you knock the edges down a bit so as to not get splinters in your hands. Use your fingers as if they were calibers . It takes practice but you can get real good at it. You will feel the high spots same as Eric’s gizmo in the tiller process. Get your back finished first and work toward the belly. Feeling the high spots thru the whole process. I take rough out measurements and from then on its feeling for diminishing mass for me . Especially with a pyramid. Arvin

[stuckinthemud]

You can feel high spots more easily while the bow is bent

[bradsmith2010]

just start learning to tiller them no easy way,,, ,, It just takes practice to get the taper even,, because the bend wont look right,,

[Selfbowman]

just start learning to tiller them no easy way,,, ,, It just takes practice to get the taper even,, because the bend wont look right,,

All true Brad.

[George Tsoukalas]

With your eyes imagine  a line through the stave on both limbs.
Remember that deflexed areas needs to bend the same amount as reflexed areas.

[bownarra]

With your eyes imagine  a line through the stave on both limbs.
Remember that deflexed areas needs to bend the same amount as reflexed areas.

Yes but you also need to realize that a concentrated area of deflex made with a constant thickness taper will hinge....you see a deflexed area acts like a stress riser (of sorts).

[Selfbowman]

True bowanrra. I suggest working a few straight grain and limb bows till you get the feel of it down. Like Brad said practice practice and more practice.

[Del the cat]

Here's a video showing something I tried to help see the curve on a wonky bow:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0cyp4g9Noc
Del

[Selfbowman]

Interesting Del . I lot of work with those cards but I can see how that would make for a good tiller. Arvin

[bjrogg]

That’s a cool idea Del. Thanks for sharing that. I agree left limb is a little stiff yet.

It’s funny switching back in forth between looking at the paper and looking at the wonky limb. Sure does take a lot of the confusion out of it looking at the paper.

Bjrogg

[aznboi3644]

Thanks for the tips guys I’ll take all of this and move it to my character bow.  I really appreciate all of the help

[George Tsoukalas]

bownarra, I think it will appear to hinge but a deflexed  still needs to do its share of the work.
If one wants a picture perfect tiller then don's use a character stave.
Jawge