Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: OffTiller on September 23, 2015, 09:48:03 pm
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wanted to put some pics up of a couple bows and looking for some tillering critique. one is a red oak board bow, 68" ntn and pulls at 48# @ 28, the other is a hickory bender, my first stave bow and bendy. 48" ntn 42# @ 26". this bow was more for practice but it came out better than expected.
a lot of things learned from the hickory, but mostly how quickly things can get away from you (especially the weight) and before i knew it i had no more wood to play with so i left the limbs their natural width (1 tip is 3/4" and the other is 1 1/8") it shoots well when i hold it correctly and i left the outer half of each limb stiff (is that wrong? i was worried about string angle). I did this bow without a tillering tree, just floor tillered and with a mirror. it has a little snake in one limb but lined up through the handle. only took 1" of set after 30 arrows and lies dead flat. going to heat treat a second time to hopefully increase weight for a hunter. will post more pics when finished. thanks for looking.
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Get those mid limbs bending a lot more on the first bow and I suppose you could leave the tips stiff. I think the second bow is bending too much at the fades and needs to bend more elsewhere.
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Yes take more off the mid limb and ends. Also you need to check and make sure you place your hand in the same spot on the bend in handle bow every time. Have you set your knocking point on your string. When I get close to final tiller I tune the bow meaning make sure you are pulling and pushing at its intended points. This will teach the wood where you want the bow to bend for you. Arvin
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In the top picture of your red oak bow the tiller looks awful, in the bottom picture the tiller doesn't look that bad, pictures can distort what is actually there.
Your hickory bow, not so good on the tiller, most of your bending is going on in the handle area. You are going to end up with a kiddie bow when you get the limbs bending correctly, good practice for your next one though.
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Your bendy handle bow is doing all its bending in the handle. The limbs are not bending at all. I did the same thing on my first bendy. Get a new piece and try again. The stiff handle bow looks decent.
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to me, too much in the center on both bows. the bottom bows better in regards to tiller than the top bow.but heres a idea so you dont loose weight to draw fixing that tiller on the top bow. reset the tips. then retiller out in the limbs a little. its what id do anyhow. Tony
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Have a look at this post on my blog:-
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/pyramid-taper-test.html (http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/pyramid-taper-test.html)
Bows need some width taper or thickness taper or both.
Del
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You trying to skewer the old mans head on tv...lol. :laugh:
Not much more to add....other than the bendy looks like ya took a parallel thickness board and tied a string to it....like del said there needs to be a thickness taper....next time keep the handle area thicker (1/4" thicker at least) and stiff as ya tiller,and when ya get a few inches away start scraping in the fades and handle...do that last so you dont run into this problem...as is that bow is gonna take more n more set there...and thats not good as it exaggerates the string follow even more,hand shock,etc etc....
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You should never get to the point of drawing that much when the tiller is that off,
you need to spot tiller deficiency way earlier in the drawing process and correct accordingly.