SET

[vampire]

I'm a beginner and starting to read the Bowyer's Bible vol 1. What does the term SET mean? My first bow(experiment)will be from hickory. Is there anything special I need to know about the drying process? Thanks, George

[George Tsoukalas]

Set is how much the limbs deflect toward the archer and is measured from where they were before the tillering started. Lets say you started working on a stave with 3 inches of reflex (deflection away from the archer). You're done tillering and the bow has 1 inch reflex left. Your bow has taken 2 inches of set. Jawge

[Pat B]

You will want your hickory very dry. Unlike most other woods hickory performs best at about 6% moisture content. Bows from other woods will blow up at that low percentage. They are best at 9% to 11% MC.
  When I buy lumber for any project, I like to let it acclimatize to my area before putting a saw to it. I learned while making picture frames for my wife that if I go right to cutting when I get the wood it is usually unstable and will warp and twist. After a week or so it becomes more stable to work with.