Need help...

[Will Taylor]

-with what most would take for granted.We must assume that I know nothing of building bows,which really isn't far from the truth.I think I have done my research,but as stated,what most take for granted.It would be nice to have someone to sit down with a cup of coffee and talk bows,but....
1.how to tell if Lowes lumber is 1/4 sawn.
2.length of and material of tillering string.
3.when to back the bow.
4.how to tell when you are done(yeah I know)
5.length of riser to length of bow
6.length of bow according to type of wood
7.tapering vs equal thickness of limbs.

Well folks,hope this ain't too much at one time.Like I said it's just the basic's,the "ropes" if you will,the small things.Thanks.Will

[hova]

got a whole nice reply typed up , only to hit submit and my laptop battery died , so now im on my eee ... here goes...

1: google quartersawn , and it will show you how to identify quarter and rift sawn.
2: long string should be long enough to get onto your tillering stick or tree. once you get the limbs bending an even amount (usually 10inches is what i see) , you  put the short string on , just tied tight , not braced. then tiller as you were. ive seen all kinds of material for tiller strings. everything from regular bowstring material , to paracord. i used some cheap walmart knockoff paracord in the camping section. its actually a cotton daisy chain , with a poly shell. it holds up pretty good.
3:someone else will have to answer this , but from what i have seen , different backings go on at different times.
4:i havent gotten this far yet...
5: this is dependent on what your needs are. most people say that whatever your grip area is , add half of that length onto each end.
6: this is all dependent on what you want as well. they say long bows are more forgiving of tillering error , but from what i have seen , it all depends on what you want to tiller.
7: this is in a lot of build alongs , if a piece is twice as wide , i believe its 2x stronger  , if its twice as thick , is 8x as strong.


hope it helps a little ,im still new , but the build alongs are priceless.


-hov

[John Scifres]

I am assuming a self bow (homogenous working material from belly to back) or a composite (two or more working materials from belly to back)

1.

2.  Dacron B-50 and 72" with a timber hitch knot on one end.

3.  I back before tillering.

4.  When the bow bends well and is at your target draw length and target draw weight.   Tiller101  

5. There is no formula as far as I know.  Most of my handles are 4" and my fades are 1-3" depending on the length of bow.

6.  Draw length determines bow length first.  Then material forces ther considerations.  First rate bow woods (osage, good hickory, a couple others) are generally 60-64" for a 28" draw for a flatbow.  Second string woods (average hickory, elm, ash, oaks) need to be a bit longer at 66-70" for 28" draw.  Deep core longbows are a different matter.

7.  Depends on style.  Most bows have some taper.  A pyramid style can be the same thickness.

[hova]

as a side note, if you read the build along onthe *********** , you may get confused...he takes a plain sawn board and cuts pieces off the sides , and is then left with quartersawn pieces and thin laminate strips... i had i hard time understanding what they were talking about , cause build alons use different wood and  different terms...


-hov

[Will Taylor]

build a longs have been a great help to me,and thank you guy's for your help.now I have come up on a new issue;my current bow(hickory)is 59" groove to groove.the string jig i made has no provision for a string of this size,drill another hole between 58 and 60?

[Pat B]

Use a bowyers knot(timber hitch) on the bottom limb and your string will be more adjustable. I set all my strings up like this. You can use the string for your tiller string first than adjust it as your final string.

[George Tsoukalas]

There are buildalongs on my site including board info.
1. look at the end grain of the board. Grain straight up. Like this.
|||
Warning:the edge grain has to be straight with very few if any run outs or ups.
2.Sounds like you've been to my site. I use old sash cord for the long string.
3. I out backing on before stringing with the short string.
4. See my site.
5.hova, I recommend that beginners build bend in the handle bows with a 4 inch handle so that this is not an issue.
6. For a board bow that bends in the handle, double you draw and 20-30%. Too broad a question to answer here.
7. Keep your board full length to just past mid limb and taper to 1/2 inch nocks. Leave the board 1.5 in wide for 50-55#. 1 3/8 in wide for 45-50#. Do not narrow the handle and do not add a glue on.
8. My site

 http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/
9. Have fun. Once you have made a few you can branch out to more complicated designs.

Jawge

[hova]

im not trying to be a nitpicker , but the imafge john posted is rift sawn , which to me is a better choice , but hard to find. heres an image that is a little clearer to the different cuts...

  http://www.aboutcivil.com/imajes/fig6-4.jpg  

ill have to edit if that didnt work...


heres one that shows the whole log in the  particular style

 http://www.wisegeek.com/images/quartersawn.jpg


-hov

[George Tsoukalas]

Flat sawn =; Rift sawn //; Quarter ||.  As seen from  the butt. Jawge