Twisted hickory started straight and was crooked.....It's straight. need advice.

[twisted hickory]

Hello,
I posted a while back on a piece of hickory that I layed out straight but after floor tiller when I put the bow on a string to tiller it was clear it was twisted. When you looked at the belly of the bow the string tracked half inch to the left.
I put it in the jig and gave it a nice toasting with a wrench and milk jug on each limb to straighten it out. I went a little past straight, re tiller  and now the string was in the same spot but the limbs were now flexing the opposite way... So I got the bow down to 60 lbs via tillering. (All the thickness on the limbs were within 1 mm so it wasn't my tillering that did it.) So I put it in the jig again and straightened the limbs with another good heat treat and my pine tar turpentine mixture so as to not burn the wood and gave it another good heat treating. After a little handle shaping it falls dead center and the limbs have very little twist to them.I hope it stays that way. Today I took it out and shot it about 50 times it seems to shoot great. I didn't want to shoot it much as it was heat treated on Saturday. I will finish tiller next week sometime. I would guess at my 27 inch draw it is pulling close to 70 lbs. I will tiller down to 60.  Tips are right at 1/2. I debated on trying to go to 3/8 but this will be a hunting bow and it will get some serious use this summer/ fall.

A question for you guys about arrow pass.
 My handle is 1 inch wide by 1.75 thick, it is triangular in shape with one side being for the most part straight the other side being slightly rounded. On the flat side the arrow touches near the front (back side of the bow) and on the other side it touches near the center of the handle. What way, in your experience makes it easier to tune the arrows for a bow of this type? I am going to put a small rest on the bow.
Thanks for looking/ advice,

I will post picts of it and the matching ladies bow I am making when they are done.
Greg

[k-hat]

Kudos on sticking with it and patiently making it a shooter! 
From what i can see it looks real good.  As per your question about which side to use for the rest (I assume you're flipping the bow to use the other side), i'd say use the one that puts your stiffer limb on the bottom.  If neither one is stiffer, then as you tiller down the weight, leave the bottom a touch stiffer (about 1/4" positive tiller measured just outside the fade is common).  I don't think it's gonna make much difference tuning arrows otherwise, but i suppose the side where the arrow touches closer to the back would be a little more tolerant to spine, but probly not much.  Look forward to seeing finish pics and all

[twisted hickory]

Thanks K.
that is what I was thinking as well. I have built 5 bows so far these couple I am working on building something a little faster with a little nicer tips and a nicer handle. Than the others.
Curious to see what Jawge and Pat B or pearly say.
Greg

[George Tsoukalas]

Good for you. Jawge

[twisted hickory]

Jawge,
For the arrow pass on this bow which is better, arrow touching handle near the back of the bow or near the center?
Thanks,
Greg

[Josh B]

I would use the side that puts the arrow contact closer to the back.  That means the string is favoring that side and would require less paradox to clear the handle.  As K-hat said it will be more spine tolerant that way.  Josh

[twisted hickory]

Josh,
Yea after some research that is what I am going to do. I finised tillering the bow out. Turned out 58.81 at 26 and 62 at 27 inches. It turned out good. I will dye the wood tomorrow and let it set for at least a week near the stove to dry it out again then  put a finish on it. It makes sense that the less of an angle the arrow is the less it will have to paradox around the handle. Handle is an inch wide so it won't have to paradox too bad.  Watch out turkeys behind my house Gobbler season is coming.
Greg