First Attempt

[wharvey]

I've been wanting to try and build a bow for months but money is tight so I took the advice of a poster on this group and decided to start off with a board bow. Found several board bow build alongs on the net, decided to use one by Sam Harper.

Picked out what looked to be a nice piece of red oak and got started. Finally started initial tiller and this is where I am at this point

 

I am pulling on the tiller string about 10 inches with a pull of about 12 lbs at this stage.

I know the left side limb is bending quite a bit more than the right side but I can't see any obvious hinges. Tomorrow I plan on working on the right limb and trying to equalize the bends.

Anything else I need to do at this point? Is the basic shape of the bend on the right or left the best to shoot far? Comments? Suggestions?

So far it has been awful easy and that has me worried.

I also noticed that the left limb has about an inch more string follow after taking down from the tiller tree. It did this even when it was the stiffest limb. Any problem with unequal string follow?

[Frank]

Left limb looks real good, right limb looks like it needs to be worked.

A little string follow is nothing to worry about.  It happens, sometimes it's a good thing.

Good Luck,

Frank

[Eric Krewson]

You have a little hinge developing about 8" in on your left limb, don't scrape in this area at all.

Have you made a tillering gizmo yet? Sure will make getting your limbs bend with minimal set much easier.

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001047#000000

[frank bullitt]

Good advice fom Frank and Eric, I will add William, make sure to exercise the limbs. If not the suprise can be a hinge. Also, use what visual aids you can. The gizmo or a 6" straight edge helps with flat spots. Also, drawing a straight line down the edge. I read where Pat hat mentioned this on another post. This was a trick Paul Comstock talked about. And also flip the bow around to get another angle. Your doing good and I know that feeling of being too easy! Good shootin, Steve

[formerbutcher]

Looks like you still have it on the long string ? I would get a shorter string on it as soon as you can. Other than that listen to what the others have said, but it's coming along nice !

[Jesse Peltan]

The tillering gizmo helps a LOT. I suggest you make one.

[Hermann From Bavaria]

long string for a too long time can bring bad surprises. in my case it brougt whip-ends!

[wharvey]

Well, I worked on the bow some more. Got the limbs evened and the developing hinge mentioned above hasn't gotten any worse. That is the good news. The bad was that my draw was wayyyy too low. Didn't remove that much wood during tiller so I guess when I cut the initial taper I removed too much.

Here is a picture at full draw. The draw weight is only 15 lbs.    :(    

 
I added an arc to the image and it looks like I have a good hinge formed on the right hand limb. I can't afford to remove more wood so I'm stuck with it.

I decided to cut a second set of knocks 1 inch in to increase the draw weight a bit.

 
The bow has been reversed so what was left is now right. The hinge is much more apparent but the draw did go up to just over 20 lbs. The limb with the hinge bends very slightly more than the other so I figure it should be the top limb.

Considering the light draw weight will the hinge become a huge problem? Is there anything that can be done at this point? This is a red oak bow if it makes any difference.

If the bow is usable I think I'll finish it off and give it to my wife as a backyard target bow. I've been wanting to get her into shooting some but she has been suffering from corporal tunnel and her right hand is very weak. Even my daughter's 25 lb bow pushes the limits a bit so this might make a good bow for her.

Opinions, advice?  What ever results this has been a learning experience and I now know that it is possible for me to make a bow. Looking forward the the next.

[George Tsoukalas]

Bill, never pull a bow further than it takes to expose a problem. Way too much long string pull on that.  Looking at the bottom pic. I'd get a little more bending from the fades out to mid limb on the right limb. The left limb has a hinge. Mark a big x on it and then remove wood from the fade out to it. The from it out to mid limb and stop. Leave the last 8 inches alone they are bending too much anyway. Glad you are making bows. Been to my site? Jawge
 http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/

[Springbuck]

Also, don't worry about coming in under weight.  Takes time and care.  Good advice on preventing it.

  A bow pulls at the draw weight of the weakest part of the weakest limb.  You won't gain weight back, but softening the limb a little won't kill it, it will take the load off that hinge a little.

  How thick, wide and long is the bow?  Next time, rough it out 25% thicker and 25% wider (if possible).  If it was 1/2" thick, making it 9/16 will approximately double the weight.  See?

[Frank]

I was wondering if ya turned it around.

Def. need to get that handle scraped down a little more.  You can see the extra wood on the pics you posted.

You need to get that hinge out of there as it may shoot just fine now, but it is a weak spot that may blow up while hunting or shooting.

You can afford to work that handle down.  If the bow comes in a little underweight, you can always shorten the bow a little and do a fine retiller.


Def. hit Jawge's site.

Looking good.

[wharvey]

I found the extra wood around the handle by feel, then I could see it. I'll remove that and try to spread the hinge area out so to speak, so it won't be a hinge as so, or so much of a problem.

The bow started out fairly thick and had good pull. I simply worked too fast and if nothing else, I learned quite a bit about what to do and more importantly what not to do when building a bow. That was the main point of this build anyway, just getting my feet wet

Have company this weekend so won't be able to work on it until next week. At this point I just plan on finishing it off since I still have to shape the handle and see what it looks like.

Best case will be to make is a safe bow to shoot for my wife. The light pull plus her shorter draw should help some on those grounds.

I'll post some pictures after finish asking for opinions on the safety of using it.

[Roy Steele]

Remember go slow once the wood is gone it's gone.And only leave your limbs bent a few seaconds at a time while you take a look.No need to excease stess on your limbs.Once tring follow is there it's there.