First Bow- Tillering advice needed

[Pmax11]

Hey guys,

I have been a long time lurker who has finally decided to join the club and build I bow. I started with a red oak board bow and had a couple snap on me but finally have one close to being completed. However, I don't seem to have an eye for tillering yet and was hoping I could get some feedback on my current bow and where to make final corrections before finishing it. I have attached 3 pictures, a plain one, one with a circle added and one of the set I am getting. Any advice is very much appreciated as I need to build 3 more bows very quickly after this for gifts so I am doing my best to learn as much as I can and practice it immediately!  

 
   
   

[Pmax11]

Apparently my pictures didn't work...another try...

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[macbow]

I think it is looking pretty good.
By now you should be on a regular string. And as much as those tips are moving at full brace of about 6 inches.
Staying with the long string beyond 5 or 6 inches of tip movement will cause false readings.

As many have said long string lie.

[Roy from Pa]

Not bad at all for oak. Set will happen with a straight limb bow starting out, it has too. Set is one reason we induce reflex into bows from the start. And like Ron said, get it on a shorter string when the tips are bending to 6 inches. And when they are bending to 8 inches get it braced up to a 6 inch brace height. When I first string a bow, I use a string that lays tight against the belly of the bow. Those long strings lie. The shorter string you put on, the more it stress's the outer 1/3 of the limbs.

[LESKEN2011]

There are definitely a few areas of the limbs that need scraping. The most valuable tool in my bow box at the stage your bow is at is the tillering gizmo gifted me by Eric Krewson. I highly recommend it. There is a how-to make your own on posted somewhere on this site.

[Pmax11]

Thank you for the quick reply guys! I have added a couple of more pictures at a 6 inch (or close) brace and then it pulled to 29 inches. Thoughts now?

Also, what is the best way to stain and or finish red oak board bows? I was thinking of heat treating it too, thoughts on that?

Thanks for all your wisdom!  [/url] [/IMG]

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  [/url] [/IMG]  MG]

[Roy from Pa]

That is looking good. Are the edges of your limbs square? It looks like it in the pictures. That's a no no, they need to be rounded over.

[Pmax11]

They are just slightly rounded, as of today actually...

Is there an amount of roundness I need to get to? Or just take off the squared up edge?

[macbow]

Hopefully your getting it off the tree quick after the pic's.
The only way for me to tell if any scraping is needed would be with a gizmo.
How long is it. 29 inch draw is a lot for a red oak board.

I'm a Tru-oil guy. But just spray on poly will do the job.
I usually do 5 or 6 coats of the Tru oil and follow by spraying of some Deft satin spray on.

[Roy from Pa]

Just remove any square edges all along the limbs, belly side and back. Square edges will cause the bow to possibly splinter up or go Boom. Kinda round the edges from back to belly. Also make sure you have no tool marks or deep scratches, that will cause a splinter to lift also. Do you have the Gizmo tool? Also like Ron said, don't leave the bow pulled down on the tree like that for any longer than necessary. That will also cause set.

[Pmax11]

I am. The pictures are taken and its off immediately. It is 72 inches I believe. It feels pretty long in general and I worry I am about to get a broken bow to the face occasionally but it seems sturdy and hasn't shown any signs of breaking.

Without the gizmo, would you say it looks like I can start shooting it? I haven't yet and am quite excited to!

With the heat treatment, is it best to clamp it or leave it sitting unclamped?

[Roy from Pa]

I would shoot it now. Link is for gizmo. Why do you want to heat treat it?
  http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000075

[Pmax11]

Thank you for the link. I was going to heat treat it to reduce set and increase the pull weight a little.

[Eric Krewson]

As the resident tillering meanie here goes;

You are dead straight out of the fades on the left limb for the first 8" or so, then have a bad hinge and moderate bend on to the tips.

Right limb;

Terrible hinge just out of the fades, that line on the brick behind the bow points to the hinge. The rest of the limb doesn't look that bad.

You never should have pulled your bow to 29" with this many problems in the tillering that needed to be corrected. It is unlikely you can fix these hinges after over stressing the limbs with the long pull.

Make a gizmo, put it on the limbs and you will see what I am talking about.

[Pmax11]

Eric,

Thanks for the advice. I take it all as constructive so no worries on being the meanie!

I am going to make the gizmo today so maybe I can fix part of the bow using that. This bow won't ever get a lot of use so the additional problems are more or less practice mistakes. I wish I could see what you are seeing a little better- I can see the straightness out of the fades but I can't see the hinge. I guess practice makes perfect!

Thanks for all the advice!

[Eric Krewson]

It does take a while to train one's eye to see tillering problems.

An old artist's trick is to squint when looking at a picture to make details stand out, works pretty well for bow tillering.

Follow the directions on page 3 to get the most out of your gizmo.

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001047#000000

[Mike Most]

Thinking of the limbs in thirds helps also. inner third, middle and outer, In this way it is easier to see that the inner thirds could move a little more, and help to correct the probs that Eric Pointed out...