Tiller check

[Dustinhill]

Hi, I I've been working on a hickory short bow (it's really short because I butchered part of it with a drawknife while debarking) and am getting the tiller about where I'd like it, but I'm not sure how to proceed. I'm shooting for a decent weight #40-50 at 16in. The bow is 36 3/4 nock to nock. I don't have a scale but Im in decent shape and can't pull it much past 12in. Any thoughts on how to even out my tiller and get the last 4 in of draw without it exploding in my face would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Dustin

[make-n-break]

Can you post the same pic without the circle? Hard to tell cuz of the black line but looks like your outer limbs are barely bending.

[Dustinhill]

ill do that asap. the tips are definitely still too stiff

[Dustinhill]

Here's the picture without the circle

[J05H]

Seems like most the bend is a few inches above and below your hand. Looks to me like you need to stay away from the center third for a while.

[wizardgoat]

Did you get a good floor tiller?
On bows this short I like to bend them over my knee towards me, you can see the bend very clearly.
Looks like all your bend is happening in your handle area, your limbs are not bending at all. To get better tiller tips it's good to post
front and side profiles, both braced and unbraced

[Dances with squirrels]

Yes, need a front profile picture. But it's safe to say it could bend more in the mid and outer limbs.

[Dustinhill]

Thanks for the advice everyone! so is the general consensus that I should I leave the handle alone and get the last 4in of bend from the outer parts of the limbs? And I'll post the requested pictures soon. Thanks!

[Dustinhill]

And  wizardgoat, i floor tillered with a farriers rasp and checked with video of me pulling it with the bow on the floor. I didn't really know what to look for though. I just tried to avoid hinges. Should the outer parts of the limb be bending right away? Or should the tiller become circular at my full draw length?

[wizardgoat]

On bendy handle bows it's better to get the limbs bending evenly first, then get the handle moving near the very end of draw.  Big thing is not over stressing your handle area ever, the worst place to take set.  Short bows are fun to make and shoot, and can be tough to tiller. Small mistakes are amplified. Keep posting your progress

[DarkSoul]

Thanks for the advice everyone! so is the general consensus that I should I leave the handle alone and get the last 4in of bend from the outer parts of the limbs?

Not exactly. I don't see anyone recommending you to scrape the outer limbs. The consensus is that only the handle part is bending. The outer limbs, AND MID LIMBS, are very flat. You should get the last 4" of draw from the MID TO OUTER limbs.

[Dustinhill]

Wow I completely misunderstood how to tiller! I thought that in order for I higher performance I should start with the handle and work outwards ending with stiffer tips. Thanks for the help everyone, really glad I checked in before stressing it further!

[Parnell]

Dustin,  a bow that short you should try to minimally hold the bow with your left hand, that is, don't use your whole fist.  Think of holding with just your pointer and middle finger.  Just my 2 cents.

Here is a better perspective of your tiller.

Your limbs are below the elliptical plane because the bending is too great in the handle and too stiff mid to outer limb.

Hope this helps.

[Springbuck]

Quick 2 cents, Dustin.  You've got good advice so far, but to reinforce....

A bow that short should bend in the handle and have stiff tips, but like many have said, your stiff tips are currently too stiff and too long.  But, to my eye it's not the outer part of the limbs that need the bend. If I divided the bow visually into into six segments from end to end, 1 and 6 can still be pretty stiff, but right now almost all your bend is in 3 and 4. 2 and 5 need to be bending a lot more.  Preferably more than 3 and 4. 

When you only have 36 inches, you can only afford short stiff tips.

[Dustinhill]

Thanks springbuck and parnell, your advice is very helpful in visualizing what I need to do. I'll be busy for the next few days with work but Im excited to get working! Thanks everyone, I'll post pictures with my progress