String alignment on a recurve

[Christoph]

New to making recurve bows and just curious to some methods for the string alignment. Say you have a bow glued up and you have paralleled the sides and bow is 1 9/16” wide. So where would you take it from here? Would you establish a center line down the bows length? Then establish the sting notch locations based of center, 30” each direction for a 60” bow. Would you at this piont start tapering the limbs? Then file in notches for string and checking for twist and centering of string?  Thanks guys.

[macbow]

Been a long time since I made a recurve.
Once glued up and glue cleaned up. The limbs will be parallel as you describe.

I remember marking the center line on blue painters tape on the limbs. From there trace out the shape of the limbs being mindful of the center line.

A bandsaw will cut the limb shape but fibreglass kills a blade fast. On regular blades it could take two to finish the job.
Another method is the belt sander with coarse gritt paper. This is quite effective.

After this if finished the limb tips should be at or close to the finished width. That is when I cut in the string grooves with a 1/8" file.
Then put on the right length string and check alignment.
There are techniques for adjusting the grooves to help with alignment.

[kennym]

""Would you establish a center line down the bows length? ""------
Yes, I like to mark center on both limbs tips at nocks (measured for length and squared across limbs first), and mark center both ways at center of riser. Then stretch a string from tip to tip and see if it aligns with center at riser. Adjust both marks at tips same direction to line up with center mark at riser.

""Then establish the sting notch locations based of center, 30” each direction for a 60” bow."" --- Done in step 1

Would you at this piont start tapering the limbs? Then file in notches for string and checking for twist and centering of string? ---- Yep here is where your squared across limb marks shine for getting nocks even,, and recurves usually have a shorter taper on limbs than longbows so I go about 7-9 inches from nocks , you can always take more if you want a different bend, but you can't put it back on.....


Sorry if too detailed, kind of assuming it's your first bow.

And welcome to TG !!

[Holm-Made]

I'd taper the tips to 1" then file,in the mocks.  Check for alignment with the tips 1" wide.  Most of the time there is some twist in the limb that can be adjusted for when you finish tapering the limbs down to 5/8"-3/4"

[Crooked Stic]

ALWAYS work off a center line. Most times when you do the same to each side your tracking will be good. for some reason it does not and you need to make one groove a bit deeper leave the tapered part of the limb about 1/8 wider than finished goal.Then take to final width.

[Christoph]

Thanks guys for the suggestions and instructions.