Self bow tiller advice...please? About done!!

[Steve Kendrot]

Could use some feedback on my second self bow. Have it drawn to about 20" here. Any tiller advice?

  [/URL]

If you like to see it in action, here's a video.
       

I'm seeing stiff outer limbs. Looking to get 29" out of it. Its 67" Any thoughts would be appreciated.


Steve

[Steve Kendrot]

Sorry. Having a hard time working photobucket from my phone. Can't seem to imbed the photo.

[takefive]

I'm pretty new to bow making myself so take this with a few grains of salt...your left limb looks great, right limb looks a bit stiff at the fade or a little bit out from the fade.  I can't tell about the outer limbs.  Do you have a gizmo?  I've found that thing to be my most valuable tillering tool.  IMHO your tiller will look super if you get the right limb bending like the left.

[k-hat]

Assuming you have a parallel limbed bow there, as takefive said 6" or so outside of the right fade a bit stiff, and maybe that area just outside that knot/kink.  Left limb looks good.  You could loosen up the outers a bit but not necessarily.  More definitive advice can be given if we see a front profile and unbraced pic.

[Steve Kendrot]

Thanks guys. My Gizmo is telling me the same thing- a bit stiff off the right fade. That right limb has a tiller measurement about a quarter inch less than the leftt indicating it is stiffer. The limb tips move about the same distance though. This seems peculiar to me. I'd think the weaker left limb would travel farther. I'm trying to get the right bending more, but it's got a cantankerous kink as Kevin noticed.

This is a symmetrical bow with the center of the handle being the center of the bow. It's got a continuous tapered limb. I'll post some unbraced pics and a new set of braced and drawn pics.

[Steve Kendrot]

Here she is unbraced:
 

Braced at 6":
 [/URL]

And drawn to 26" (about 60#)
 [/URL]

And here's a video:
 

I'm shooting for 55#@29"
Bow is 67 NTN
1.5" at fades .6" at tips continuous taper.

[k-hat]

When you draw it on the tree, watch carefully to see if the bow is tilting a little as you draw.  It typically will tilt to the strong side if you're drawing from center.  That would account for the tips reaching the same position on your wall when drawn.  I tiny bit of tilt measures a pretty good deal of tip mvt.  

The last pic looks really good, and will be about perfect when you get that right fade loosened up a touch.  That may bring the limbs into balance, at which point you'll need to pick a limb to be the top and make a few long even scrapes over the whole limb to weaken it a touch and give you a positive tiller (if that's what you're going for).  I'd be shooting it by now though and see how it does before any efforts are made at balancing.

[Steve Kendrot]

Thanks Kevin.  I've noticed that tilting in other bows I've made. This one is pretty stable. Not sure if you checked out the video link but it shows its pretty solid without much tilting or rocking.

I'll get back to it this weekend and plan to start shooting it. I'm shooting three fingers under so curious if I should tiller it differently than the typical 1/8"(ish) positive upper limb tiller.

Steve

[Pat B]

You could do a few scrapes just off of the right fade for about 6" or so. You can also bring the bend out toward the tips a bit more. I like to leave 4" to 6" of the limb tips stiff.
 She looks real good, especially since it is your second selfbow. Well done.

[Steve Kendrot]

Thanks Pat. I am eager to get back to it this weekend. All the guidance I am getting points the same direction.  Phew!!!

[Steve Kendrot]

Well, I'm shooting it in at full draw now. Here are some pics.
Unbraced:
 [/URL]

Braced at about 6-1/2" from the back.
 [/URL]
 
And full draw 58#@29".  Think that left limb could work a bit more on the outer third?
 [/URL]

Here it is in motion. It zings an arrow pretty well and hits where I'm looking. Let me know what you think!
 

[Sharpend60]

Your right limb is still looking a bit stiff, right out of the fade.
The left looks great to me.

Also.
Make sure your snap a pic when the camera is perfectly perpendicular to the tiller tree.

I noticed in this pic (and others) that your standing a bit to the left. This possibly distorts our view of your work.

[Steve Kendrot]

I think you're right. Used a tripod and everything, but think I wasn't quite square to the wall. Funny, I took a few swipes off that right fade and the gizmo stopped leaving marks there so I thought I was good. The left limb seems like it has less bend overall to my eye. But the tips are traveling the same. Appreciate your feedback.