Selfbow questions (tillering help)

[Trenton G.]

Hi guys. I'm working on my first selfbow and have got the bow pretty much all shaped. What I'm wondering is when do I start tillering? The bow is still really stiff, but I don't know how much weight will be dropped during the tillering process. At what point should I stop thinning the limbs and start working on tiller? I appreciate any help. Since I'm new to this there will probably be lots more questions popping up.

[Pat B]

Trenton, tillering begins as you start removing wood from the belly. Your goal is is to get both limbs bending evenly and together...and ultimately achieving the desired draw weight. As you remove wood from the belly exercise the limbs by bending them multiple times to your desired weight(but not over that weight). Don't worry about the limb thickness. When the bow is tillered and you have achieved weight the limb thickness will be correct.
Post pics as you go along so we can see your bow and help you along.

[Eric Krewson]

First you need a tillering gizmo.

Here is how to make one and use it, If you pull the same video up on you tube there will be a much more detailed explanation of the use in the comments section.

[Trenton G.]

Thanks guys. I will try and get a tillering tree set up and start this week. I'll post pictures as I go along for you guys to critique. I've got a couple of gizmos that I built for my first woodshop projects that have just been sitting around, so I can finally out them to good use.

[Pat B]

Too bad you didn't go to the 25th annual Marshall, Mich. Primitive Bow rendezvous. The whole weekend with wood bow building and some of the best wood bow builders there to help. Maybe next year you can make it.

[Trenton G.]

I finally found some time to sit down and really work on this bow. This is my first selfbow and I can use all the help I can get with tillering. I'm sorry for the poor picture quality. It's tough holding the string back and holding the camera steady at the same time LOL. In this picture the bow is at 3.5 inch brace and 53@21. My goal is somewhere around 55@28. The right limb comes off the riser at a different angle than the left which is throwing me off a bit. What do you guys see? Sorry also for no good back drop. It seems like every square inch of every wall in our garage is covered.

[Possum Head]

I was hoping our top Bowyers would weigh in. To my amateur eye all looks

[Pat B]

The bow looks stiff off both fades.

[Trenton G.]

Ok thanks. I wondered about that. I'd read a lot about how you could get a hinge there if too much wood is removed. I guess I was a little bit overly cautious and left to much wood there.
I'll work that area and get some more pictures. It's been 90+ degrees here the past few days and I haven't been able to motivate myself to go out and work on it in that heat.

[Pat B]

I usually leave the fades for last and bring the bend back into the fades.

[Eric Krewson]

You have a gull wing effect in the fades, I suspect the stave was like that. I would have straightened everything out before I started tillering.

If you get the fades moving go very slowly on wood removal, getting these "wings" to pull out will be tricky.

[Trenton G.]

Eric, the stave has quite a bit of gull wing. I was really confused about what to do with it because half the people I talked to said gull wing is good and half said that it was bad. I wasn't really sure what to make of it. What's really throwing me off as far as roller is that one limb gull wings a bit more than the other which makes it look stiff to me, even when the gizmo says that both are even.