A couple of more questions

[JeffersonD]

Sorry for these questions but they have been eating at me and I can't find the answer on the internet.

1) When I get a bow am I supposed to leave string attached or not?  Does it depend on certain types of bows?

2) What does split grip and three under mean?  Can someone post pictures for me if possible.

I'm trying to learn all I can before I buy a bow, or maybe win one of these free bow contests on here     .  I have to get a job before I can buy anything as I'm a broke college student and on Tuesday I'm having intestinal surgery because I have a lot of scar tissue from my intestinal disease.  My girlfriend may have an extra bow I can borrow when I recover from surgery.  

Sorry for my rant it's been a tough few weeks.  Thanks for reading and taking the time to put up with a new kid like me.

Thanks for this forum.  I'm learning a lot from you guys. Ya'll are the best

Jeff

[Chuck Hoopes]

Ive always left my glass bows strung-- but I shoot them almost daily.  If they are going to be laid up for more than a week, I unstring them.  Self wood bows,should be unstrung immediately after shooting.  Split finger is one finger (your pointer) above the nock and the next two under the nock.  Most bows are tillered for this grip on the string.  Three under is just what it says-- all 3 fingers grasp the string under the nock-- you want to make sure bow is tiller for this grasp if it is what you choose to do.

[JeffersonD]

Thanks so much, that leads me to another question.  What does it mean to be tillered?

Thanks

Jeff

[Chuck Hoopes]

Tillered - refers to the bend of the limbs-- the shape of the arc.  The distance as measured from the limb to the string when the bow is strung, often is slightly different between the upper and lower limb. For example, If you measured from a point at the  middle of the upper limb to the string, you likely would find that it is 1/4"-1/2" greater on most bows, than the same measurement taken on the lower limb.  This is because the lower limb is made slightly stronger, to compensate for the grip on the string being somewhat lower than center, thus there is going to be more force applied to the lower limb.  The idea is to get the limbs to react in unison.
Hey-- Best wishes, and get well soon. Wish I had an extra bow, at the moment, I'd just send it to you.  You can find some decent older used ones for 100-$150 -- Nothing wrong with an "experienced bow"-- its the only kind I buy.

[JeffersonD]

Thanks for helping me with my questions.  This forum is awesome with some of the nicest people.  I'll look for some old used ones.  I'm not afraid of some battle scars.  I'm a guitar player as well and I love my acoustics to be played.  It's just fate that I love tradional archery with the wood bows.

[Chuck Hoopes]

Good luck--you'll find alot of kindred souls here.

[JeffersonD]

I might be getting a bow soon.  It's not a very good one.  But I can get one with a very tiny shelf or one without a shelf.  Is it very hard to shoot without a shelf and how do I shoot without a shelf.  Thanks

[Roy Steele]

Selfbows unstring them same with long bows.I know people woth glass recurves that leave them strung up for months at a time.
  So when I switched back to tradional 27 years ago.I had a MARTIN HATFIELD 64"65#@26"s and I shot a lot every day for mounths at a time.I'd leave it struung up for weeks at a time.Shot it for 5 years it never hurt it same poundage as when I bought it.
   Can some tell me it it;s ok to do this.Know 2 other peoples done the same thing.

[JeffersonD]

Thanks for the info.

Can someone let me know if they would recommend a shelf or no shelf.  I don't have time right now to try a bow out and it may be a birthday present for me in a month or so.  A few people said they would let me try there bows out but right now my weekends are my homework days as I'm in college so trying is very hard.  I may try to find the archery store in town again but I'm not sure if it's open or if they sell traditional bows.  I guess I'm looking for advice on what to get.  It's going to be a very cheap bow about 130 to 150 dollars.

Thanks guys

[Killdeer]

It would be easier to shoot a bow with a shelf.
If you get one without a shelf, you must be careful to place your bow hand the exact same way every time you grip the bow to shoot it. Your bow hand would be the shelf, and any change will affect your arrows' flight.

When shooting off the hand, make sure that your fletches taper smoothly to the shaft, and are well secured at the front with either glue or wrapping.

You can make an arrow rest from leather, wood or other materials. You can whittle a wedge and hold it on with the handle material. Do a search for Ferret's floppy arrow rest either here in Powwow or in the How-To forum.

Hope you are feeling better, and can go to some shoots this summer.
Killdeer  

[JeffersonD]

Thanks for the tips.  I think I'll try to get one with a shelf so I don't have to pay as much attention.  Maybe later I'll try and build a self bow without a shelf just to see how it is, but that will have to wait till I get semi decent.

Thanks so much