floor tillering advice

[NeolithicMan]

Does anybody else have this problem: I will rough out the thickness on a stave after trimmed to just outside the dimensions on the bows back (i always draw them on there) and start floor tillering. my issue is that i will have the limbs bending beautifully with my eye by the handle section on both limbs with what I believe to be the same amount of force being applied to the limbs as I check them and yet, when I set up on my tillering tree... one limb may be hinged, one barely bends as the other is like a half circle, both limbs look grossly out of shape and or just twist and bend all sorts of weird ways. so i guess my question is, how can I floor tiller a little more effeciently and is there something I might be doing the makes my aproach less desirable? I have the same issues with different wood and different styles of bows I have worked on.

Thanks for your time guys, always love getting advice from people who know what there talking about.

John

[koan]

Whenever possible I have a buddy do the floor bendin so i can stand back and look... I cant trust what i see staring down the limb, lol... I have used big leather cups on paracord so i could put it onda tree to see it better and it works purty good.... Brian

[Josh B]

For the most part, its just something that has to be developed.  The more you do it, the better you'll get at it.  I know there are some that have floor tillering down so well that they skip the long string and go straight to brace.  I'm not one of em.  I would recommend that you just get the limbs to start to bend and then go to the long string.  At least for now.  Once you get a better feel for it, you can start taking it a little farther on floor tiller before you go to the long string.   It may take longer this way, but it ain't supposed to be a race anyway.   Josh

[PrimitiveTim]

As I'm sitting down I hold the bow horizontal to the ground with the back facing away from me.  I grab the tips of the bow and brace the handle against my knee.  I lean back with the tips and I'm able to feel which limb is bending more.  Billy Berger does this in his build along video series.

[Del the cat]

A good reason, to go straight to a long string!
Like all techniques, it's only useful if it works for you.
I don't 'floor tiller' I may lean on it just to feel if it's flexing a bit, once there is any 'give' it's up on the tiller.
Just 'cos one guy uses a chainsaw to rough out a bow, doesn't mean you should do it!
Del

[SLIMBOB]

+1 Josh.  I cant tiller one accurately floor tillering.  I too would end up with a mess on my hands.  I just get the limbs moving 4 inches or so each, evenly as much as possible, and then get a string on it low brace.  This is different than a lot of guys, but it works for me.

[crooketarrow]

  Your putting to much  into floor tillering.
          DON'T

 I cut my bow limbs down to where I want them. Then cut the bow limbs down belly) to where they bend a little (floor tiller) inch maybe. I don't really try to even them up. I leave that to the tillering tree.

  I want to put the bow on the tree and get the limbs tillered the same as soon as possable. The sooner you do this. The more draw lenth you have to finetoon the tiller to the weight and draw lenth.

  Never pull past your intented draw weight,don't worry about the draw lenth now. Pull past your intented draw weight your putting exture stress on the limbs. That you don't have to do. It helps with to much string follow and set.

[Pat B]

For me floor tillering is a preliminary to be sure that there is no problem(hinge) with the slight bend I get floor tillering. I want only about 4" of tip movement at floor tiller stage. From there I use a long string, but only to about 6" or 8" of tip movement. If everything looks good I go to a low brace height of about 3" to 4". At this point I can see how the string tracks, I can see if infact both limbs are bending evenly and together. From here on it is mostly weight reduction.

[adb]

Effective floor tillering requires practice and experience. I do it my looking down the limbs from above, but mostly by feel. It's not too difficult to feel if one limb is stiffer than the other.

I don't use a long string anymore... I go from floor tiller to low brace. But, that took me about 5 years of bow making to be any good at it. Remember, even tapers make even bends. Keep your floor tillering wood removal even on both limbs and your skill will improve. 

[artcher1]

John, I think you need a little better understanding of limb tapering. Let the tapering process create the appropriate bend. Not the floor or tree tillering. I'm sure you understand for pyramidal design that only side tapering is needed and would be the easiest type bow to build. For a rectangular limb design, some belly tapering is required. OK...............

Get you a caliper if you don't have one. Now lay each limb out in equal increments. Use the caliper to check measurements on each limb. Keep 'em the same. True, using calipers will not achieve desired bow weight, only experience will do that, but it will allow you to achieve similar limb bend with or close to equal limb mass. And reduce the risk or eliminate unwanted hinges all together.

Once you get some experience doing that, there's little more than reducing bow weight..........Art

[dbb]

A trick i picked up here (dont remember from who) is to floortiller in front of a mirror.
You get a much better angle to actualy see  something.

[blackhawk]

Using your fingers feeling for even thickness taper along with floor tillering goes hand in hand...its a 50/50 thing tillering by eye and FEEL...and I believe its a very important thing to learn and master

Majority of my tillering is done on the floor,and I can go straight to brace and be on the money....but like Josh says its something that needs developed...your best teacher is going to be experience and not much anything that can be said to really help ya...but I do disagree with Josh that it is a race  I think a lot of guys have the potential to not use the long string and a stick/tree as a crutch(and the tiller gizmo to,but that's another can of worms)...it saves all those countless back n forths of the string on string off/bow on the tree bow off the tree and marking where you need to scrape...your eyes should be able to see where it needs scraped or not...if you use and continue to use all the crutches of bow making your eyes will never fully develop to the potential that they could be...don't get me wrong they still can be good,but not as good as they could be....to me floor tillering is a very important skill to learn and be good at IMHO

BUT....try all the different ways and tricks and do what works best for you....we all have our own ways that work for us....

[NeolithicMan]

to Del the cat: now I want to buy a chainsaw and try it! hahaha... wait maybe I really do

[huisme]

I use big mirror so I can look straight on at the profile while I pull 

[bushboy]

I always ft on the left for some reason,guess everyone has to find what works for them in the passion.I flex the upper limb and it gives me a feel for the balance of the bow!kinda lean back an acess .flip end over end and repeat.if I'm happy I go straight to brace and most times it's close,couple scrapes,exercise ,reasess.