Tillering - what do you do with the string?

[walrii]

OK, dumb question from a newbie:  Is there a quick and easy way to get the short string off the bow so you can scrape the limbs?  Or do you just get quicker with practice?

[Eric Krewson]

When I get to the short string I don't unstring the bow to scrape the limbs.

[Dublin Joe]

I'm a newb, too, and I use a stinger.  It takes as long as it takes.

I've scraped with the bow braced and it works fine unless I'm near the tips and then I worry about nicking the string.

Joel

[Pat B]

Joel, if you scrape from the tips back into the limb there is less chance of nicking the string when working with a braced bow.
 Generally I remove the string before I remove wood and rebrace it to test. On difficult tillers I do scrape the braced bow drawn on a tiller stick. This is where Eric's gizmo shines for me.

[John Scifres]

I generally leave them strung for the last few inces of tillering.  I have a 10" piece of wood that I partially draw the bow with when I am scraping a strung bow.  It is curved on the handle side and notched on the string side.

[Bob Barnes]

It's easier to scrape with the bow strung if you have the right scraper...I have a couple made from bandsaw blades that are about 1 1/2" wide and maybe 8" long...

Bob

[George Tsoukalas]

I use a stringer. Jawge

[John Cooper]

Okay...this goes against what I've been warned about.  Doesn't removing wood while strung create more string follow?

[John Scifres]

I don't believe it has any impact on string follow.  I just do it for the final tillering.