Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Susquehannock on January 30, 2008, 08:40:54 pm
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Here is an osage bow that I am getting ready to finish. It is 61" nock to nock and is pulling 55# @ 24" in these two pics. My target is 55# @ 26". I tillered this bow primarily with scrapers, so I don't anticipate losing much weight during sanding and finishing. The left limb is the bottom limb and has a little natural deflex right after the fade. The top limb is 1" longer than the bottom. The tips have mild reflex heated into them. (I posted a pic of this bow the other day @ 18" draw, and most of the recurves that I heated into the tips pulled out because the thickness of the bending area couldn't sustain the curves. This will be my second osage bow and first self bow. Please let me know how the tiller looks and what needs attention.
Thanks, Jason
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The right limb has the working part concentrated in the inner limb. Try and get it working a bit further towards the tip
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The left limb looks great. The right limb looks stiff from 3/4 out to the tip.
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What Marc said, it looks like it could hinge out from the fade on the right limb.
How about a side profile pic of it unbraced?
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Thanks for the feedback, I was thinking the same thing about the right limb, but sometimes I need to hear others confirm what I'm thinking. Oddly enough, the left limb was a real problem limb--knot hole, etc. while the right was clean and easy. i think I must have concentrated more on the left as a result. So I should scrape at the red area? Also, I guess I'll do a couple even scrapes the length of the left limb to keep things evened up? I'll try to post some side profile and braced pics later.
Jason
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That looks about right. ;)
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Leave the last 4" or so of the limb tip stiff
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Also, I would scrape the inner limbs a tad bit more, it'll keep the string angle low as you close in on full draw.
Sean
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I think a pic of the unbraced bow and a pic of the braced bow will be helpfull, especially if you tempered a reflex in the limbs....
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Here are two pics of the bow braced.
Jason
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I might would try and get it bending a little more toward your handle on the top limb... or said another way, shorten your fade a little on the top limb in order to get more limb bending. I wouldn't remove any other wood where the limb is already bending.
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Still looks a little stiff on the right limb about a foot out from the fad,and like Marc said
leave the last 4 or 5 inches from the tips stiff.Left limb looks good.Is the brace pretty even
on both limbs ?
Pappy
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You can see now why the one outer limb looks a bit stiff, it starts with more refelx from the look of the brace. Could still use a little work, and also the fade on that limb.
Funny how you always have one good limb on a bow. I think part of that comes from the fact that there is generally one slightly stronger limb and that puts more stress on the other limb. When you really stress a limb, thats when you find out what it is doing.
Just my hypothesis to epxlain why I've never made a bow that had two good limbs.
The fact that the upper limb is a little longer, is going to make it where you can't just compare the bend on the two. But each bend has to satisfy your eye as far as being smooth and either circular or slightly elliptical. I think the right limb could still use the work the others mentioned about.
I'd also be taking pics of you drawing the bow at this point, it generally gives you a different look on the tiller and might change your view. Especially on a shorter-lower-limb bow, your lower limb will look more stressed when you draw and this might take some of the stress off the upper and let it even out.
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Near handle wood appears way too stiff to me. The first thing I would is mark the edge where I want the bending to start which is usually at the end of the fades and then work on that area. Too much bend is happening mid limb on both limbs and this will alleviate that. Jawge
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I wasn't sure about the fades. The last bow I made I had the fades bending too much too early. I was trying not to do that this time. Here is the unbraced profile. Most of my set has occurred in the outer limbs. As you can see, my recurves are barely existent (I took some of the curve out myself at about 18", and a lot of it pulled out during tillering. The right limb had a little twist at the tip and the pronounced recurves that I started with were giving me some trouble at that limb. I guess getting the limbs to bend more near the fades would help on the stresses of the middle limbs?
Jason
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Sure, set happens in areas that are getting more than their share of stress. And its understandable that you'd baby the inner limbs if your last bow was bending too much there. You won't have to get them bending much to give the bow an overall rounder more balanced shape.
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Take yer time and make sure its exercised with every wood removal.
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I've been pulling the bow about 30 times between wood removal. Any general rule of thumb for exercising the limbs "x" amount of times?
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That sounds good, just make sure yer not pulling it pass your target weight
or any farther than its already tillered to.
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Sus, I can't tell where the end of the fades is from the pic but you can mark it on the side facing you with a heavy pencil. It's also a good idea to check tiller from both sides. It takes me anywhere from 5-15 hours to bring a stave to full draw. I'll spend 2-3 hours of that time getting the wood to start to move where I want it to (end of the fades). I agree with your assessment regarding the tips. You did get a bit aggressive there. But beginner bows tend to be unintentionally whip tillered anyway. Sus, it's ok. This is how you learn. Mistakes are wonderful teachers. Wish I had this site when I started. Its no fun having your bow picked apart but you have a great attitude which will likely take you far in bow making. Way to go! Jawge
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Thanks Jawge,
I posted the bow for honest feedback and I don't mind criticism. I've built about 5 bows over the last 3 years, but time constraints and a busy schedule have kept me from building more. I learn something new on every bow and I think I'm improving. Most of my knowledge I can attribute to reading posts on this site. I appreciate the feedback from everyone!
Jason