Osage Bow (that hopefully doesn't take 10 months)

[Marin]

Okay tillered up to 21" today though this days work was full of frustration. First of all, it took me nearly 2 hour a to get all the stiff spots out at the 20" level. I have no idea what happened but I wonder if this might have been the problem:'I was using the file side of the ferriers rasp followed by scraping with a paint scraper, so maybe this might have been too aggressive. But when I started using only scraper, it still took forever to fully balance the tiller and get all the stiff spots. It's really confusing. I normally just mark the entire part of the stiff portion with pencil and scrape this off and scrape the area 2 more times just to be sure but it seems this is sometimes too much or too little, so I find myself constantly taking the bow to the tree, exercising it 30 times, and discovering the stiff spot is still there or ethat I've created a new stiff spot next to it 
I don't know why tillering takes me forever. I know I shouldn't rush it but I hear of people tillering their self bows within a day and that just seems impossible to me. I keep on returning to the tree with gizmo in hand and only discover more spots or keep on finding that the spots I scraped are still there. Do you guys have any tips as to how you tilller?
Also, found that this bow is 20#at 21", so it looks like I made another child's bow again  I'm sorry guys but I guess I just ruined  this wonderful osage stave. Don't get me wrong, I do like this bow, I just wish I could of made what I wanted. I'll finish up, I'm just kind of disappointed.
Here's today pic. Note that when I took this pic, there are still stiff spots that the gizmo picked up.

[Dictionary]

I find using my fingers as a thickness gauge to be the most reliable way of avoiding thick, stiff spots as well as hinges. Eye the side of the limb then run your fingers over the thickness of both limbs as you are removing wood. That has been the most important piece of advice i got on tillering over the years. Also this is only your 2nd bow. Dont worry about it. Everyone makes mistakes, even the experienced guys.

[Marin]

I've got it mostly level at 21". I'm going to make te string and start shooting it in up to 28" of draw. I have to finish it this weekend as  I'm not going to have time for a couple I months to do any personal projects.
Pic of tiller. The gizmo wasn't picking up any serious stiffness but I could see some slight undulations in wood level. Hopefully it's fine

[Marin]

Out if curiosity, how thick do you guys keep your tips? I'm wondering as mine seem too thick and I think it kind of threw off my tillering as I would sometimes gage the gizmo based off of the area next to the tip, which caused me to take off too much material.

[Eric Krewson]

My tips end up about 1/2" thick and 1/2" or less wide. With the gizmo you want to leave abut the last 6" of the limb stiff as this adds  the equivalent of small levers to your tiller for a little better performance.

[Marin]

I made the string with D97 but had a quick question: when I first strung the bow, one of the loops slipped so I redid it. However, when I was done splicing the loop back into the string, it seems the reverse twists spread out away from the loop. The loop still held but the splice didn't seem clean anymore until I spun the string to make it shorter. Is this normal? How can I make sure the stein will hold under stress?
I'm going to serve the string tomorrow with one strand of thick upholstery thread (don't have time to get serving thread) and start shooting it in.
Attached is the loop in question

[BowEd]

Marin.....Making strings can be frustrating when first making them it seems.Almost need an over the shoulder watch by someone who's done it but maybe not here.If you can't find someone you'll have to U tube it I guess.A book might help too.Splicing the tails of a loop into the main length of string I'm talking about.
The way you have it there will not work too well.
Also about the nocks on the tips.Anything beyond that loop is dead weight on the tips.Slightly sand round the edges so they are'nt sharp to cut your string and you'll be good.I'd make those look like pin nocks.The string will stay on fine.
Another thing your left limb is a bit stiffer midlimb or just out from your fade a ways then your right limb.Might be the angle of your pic or propeller on limb too but I don't think so.

[Eric Krewson]

When you make your first loop you have to take all the twist out of each bundle or you will have the double rope effect like you have.

After I finish the loop and twist the bundle past the tag ends a half inch or so I use a piece of string material and tie off the bundles where the loop twist stops. I do this to keep from untwisting my loop while I do the next step which is untwisting the individual bundles. 

I put the loop over a hook and untwist each individual bundle starting at where I tied off the loop and moving toward the loose end, repeat with the other bundle. I pinch the bundle with with my thumb and fore finger of my left hand on the loop side and untwist with my right hand. When you finish you should have two flat bundles of string, no twists. Match the ends and make your other loop.

When you get your second loop made you will have more bundle twist on one end of the string than the other, again, this can cause a rope effect. I start down the string untwisting bundles on the twisty end do so to about midpoint of the string. This untwisting should leave you with evenly twisted separate bundles which will blend together nicely (no rope effect) when you do your final loop twisting. 

[BowEd]

That's about as good a description as I've heard for you Marin.If you can execute it.Taking twist out of your main string meaning the plys themselves before applying stretch to your string will stop the loops from unwinding.

[Eric Krewson]

I made strings for years and thought I had it down but still had the rope effect sometimes. I watched Chad Weaver's string making video "Doing The Twist" and found the error in my ways, I wasn't taking the twist out of the bundles after I made the first loop.

[Marin]

This is what I did: I took the two bundles and did a little reverse twist in the middle and then i I did  the loops. I got this method from another bowyer ho used it .
I have been using YouTube to learn this method . I've still been having trouble.

[penderbender]

Start with the loop. Listen to Eric's description And you will get it. Cheers- Brendan

[Marin]

I tried making another string according to Eric's advice but one of the loops slipped out  again 
I made he first loop, tied it with string and untwisted the bundles before making the other loop, and then holding that loop before twisitng the string counterclockwise 25 times. I definitely twisted past the spliced loop at least half an inch but I believe more than that. I have been reading several sources and watched several videos and I can't tell what I'm doing wrong. What could be the problem?

[Marin]

Is it possible that when splicing the loop, I placed the tail ends on the wrong sides ?
Does that even cause a problem?

[Marin]

I'm looking at the splice on the other loop and it still appears to be not very good. I don't know why this keeps going wrong. I'm reverse twisting it and I'm definitely twisting this far past the splice point. I tied it off before doing the second loop so I don't know why it continues to do this "rope effect".