First try at making a bow, need help with tillering?

[Shaun77]

Hey guys,

   My dad got me a long bow blank for christmas last year and I ahave just now got around to working on it.  The directions that came with the bow are not very good so I could use some help.  I think I am at the point of tillering, but all the dierctions say is "to go down teh limb 10" and measure to the string.  The distance should be the same."  My question is where do I measure the 10 inches from?  The tip of the limb or the arrow rest? The bottom limb is longer than the top so if I measure from the rest I get a 1/4" difference on teh sides.  If I measure from the tips of the limbs the distance is pretty much dead on.  I have some pictures of the bow, but since this is my first post I do not know how to post them.  Thanks for any help.

Shaun

[cowboy]

Shaun: I've never messed with a bow blank that came with direction's. Sounds like it may have come to you already about tillered. Sounds like your supposed to brace the bow and check the tiller by measuring ten inches from center of handle or maybe start of fade then measure from belly side to the string on both limbs which should be the same. I'd wait for someone who knows for sure before bracing the bow - at minimum you want to make sure all edges are rounded on the limbs and back is nice and smooth before bracing.

[Shaun77]

Cowboy,

   Thanks for the info.  I have the limbs nice and smooth and the edges rounded, but when I measure from the middle of the bow I get 1/4" from the bellu of the limb to the string.  I stopped messing with it because I don't want to mess it up.

Shaun

[cowboy]

Pictures surely would be helpful at this point. Try to add them to your next post. Look below the box your typing in, click on Additional Options, this will open up a box where you should be able to drill down to your pictures, double click on the pic you want to attach. Make sure it's 200kb or smaller.

[Shaun77]

Here is one picture of the bow strung.  Let me know if you need more and I'll get you some.  Thanks again for the help.

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[Dano]

The bow looks good braced, what is the length?

[mullet]

  The bow looks good braced to me , too. I'd hate to tell you to pull it back some and let us look at it some more,, but,, pull it a little with a picture. Do you have any idea how much wieght it is pulling right now?

[Shaun77]

I have no idea what it is pulling at the moment.  It is supposed to be 55# at 28 inches.  I think it's a 66" or 68" bow and that is a 62" sting on it.  I'll see if I can get my wife to take a few pictures of me drawing it a little.  Thanks for the replies.

[cowboy]

That does look good braced, think it did come to you about tillered. You don't want to just rare back on it for a full draw picture - I wouldn't. Just play with it a little at a time as Mullet suggested with a pic, you can tell a lot from a picture on tiller.

[Shaun77]

Ok, here are a few more pictures.  I didn't draw it all the way. Just about half.  Thanks for all the help.

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[Dano]

It doesn't look bad, but your holding it upside down.   How heavy does it feel at that draw?

[Shaun77]

I'm not holding it upside down.  This isn't the first one I've had, just the first one I've built. 

It feels pretty heavy at that point though.  Can I take it to an archery store and have them test the draw weight or is there a way I can do it at home?

[david w.]

you can take it to an archery store but the owner may be reluctant because its a selfbow   its just the compounders dont know what a real bow is 

to me the bow looks like it is bending to close to the handle and the top limb is stiffer than the bottom limb.  I am not a very good tillerer though so i would wait for someone more experienced to chime in

[Shaun77]

Yeah the top one is stronger than the bottom one, but it is also shorter.

[Dano]

Normally the shorter limb is the bottom limb, and from the looks of that riser it is the bottom limb. But that's just my oppinion.