Bow-cabulary for dummies

[TooManyHobbies]

I'm still a bit new to trad. I've used my recurve for a total of maybe two seasons. I've killed one deer, and missed one deer and a coyote.

I've been reading alot and some of the vocabulary about bows, arrows, etc. has me stumped.

FOC? I'm thinking Front of Center, but don't understand the % part.

Footed? Is this to add weight fore or aft of the arrow, or is it for strength? Or both?

Tiller? I remember that from my c-bow days, wasn't sure how to set it then, and don't have a clue how it would be done on trad bows.

Those are a few, I'm sure I'll need to add more as time goes on. Thanks.

[George D. Stout]

It simply means the amount of total weight, as a percentage, that is ahead of the center of the arrow. EFOC means extreme front of center, and of course we also must have UEFOC...ultra extreme front of center.   They have interactive charts, I believe at Easton, for those mathematically challenged 8^).

Tiller is simply a measurement of limb strength. A bow is normally drawn above the center point, which throws limbs out of balance if made in the same configuration.  The bottom limb is made stiffer to accommodate this uneven draw.  The center of the bow is the pivot point, where your grip contacts the bow handle.

Footing is for strength, but will help with front of center as well.

[Tim Fishell]

You are correct FOC is Forward of Center.  It is measured by finding the balance point of your arrow and measuring how far forward of the center of the shaft it is.  Then you can calculate the percentage from that.  

Footed arrows are mainly used to add strength.  Footing a wood arrow typically means added a harder wood up front to take the beating.

Tiller is used by the bowyer to measure the flex of both bottom and top limbs.  This can change a little bit depending on if you shoot split finger or 3 under.  3 under tiller is typically even which means the bottom and top limb bend the same amount at full draw.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by TooManyHobbies:
I'm still a bit new to trad. I've used my recurve for a total of maybe two seasons. I've killed one deer, and missed one deer and a coyote.

I've been reading alot and some of the vocabulary about bows, arrows, etc. has me stumped.

FOC? I'm thinking Front of Center, but don't understand the % part.

the higher the foc percentage, the more the arrow will balance closer to the point.  you can check your arrow's foc with this interactive excel  foc spreadsheet chart .

Footed? Is this to add weight fore or aft of the arrow, or is it for strength? Or both?

mainly for strength, but does add front end arrow weight

Tiller? I remember that from my c-bow days, wasn't sure how to set it then, and don't have a clue how it would be done on trad bows.

tiller should be taken care of by the bowyer.  3 fingers under string grip may require a slightly different tiller for best shooting results.

Those are a few, I'm sure I'll need to add more as time goes on. Thanks.

.......

[TooManyHobbies]

Thanks for the quick replies.

[Orion]

Pick up a book like Traditional Bowhunters Handbook by T.J. Conrads, or Timeless Bowhunting by Roy Marlow.  Either will answer just aboutevery question you will come up withregarding traditional bows and shooting.

[TooManyHobbies]

Thanks Orion.