Reducing set.

[b.glass]

Please share all your tricks for keeping string follow at a minimum.

[H8nonCubs]

The only time I've had excessive set seems to be when I'm pushing the dry time with a couple of exceptions of course

[Pat B]

Bona once I get to floor tiller I use only a scraper for removing wood. I'll remove a little wood, exercise it well(but not much tip movement yet) and check tiller. If you see anything out of order take care of it, exercise(just a bit farther) and check tiller again. At this point you are working an inch at a time. By the time you hit low brace(3" brace height), brace it up, check allignment and tiller and if everything is OK let it sit at brace for 15 minutes. At the end of each work session I leave the bow braced for longer incriments.
  If at the end of your tillering and the limbs are bending well and together but the bow has taken on some set clamp it to a backset form with mild reflex and heat treat the belly to chocolate brown. This works best on whitewood bows but I've used it succefully with osage too. If you do temper the belly leave it in the form for 2 to 3 days or more so the bow can gain back some of the moisture lost during tempering.
 Dry bow wood is good. Wood that is too dry is brittle and can break when stressed.  Having good, well cured wood is the first step to having less set and patience while tillering is #2.

[Roy Steele]

I keep my bows in a hot box as I build them.Exspecialy white wood.Use a tilling set up with a scale so you never.never over stress you limbs.These 2 things are 1 and 2 when it comes to string follow.

[John Scifres]

My bows improved dramatically when I got them a lot closer to final thickness before bending.  For me, that means less than 5/8" thick all the way across the limb.  Extremely careful layout and initial wood removal, prior to bending, is key.

I rough the stave out.  Then I mark it every 3".  Then I take a caliper and measure width and get them limbs perfect and matching in profile.  Then I work on getting the thickness perfectly even and matched all the way across the limbs.  I generally taper a millimeter for every 3" past midlimb at first.

Then I floor tiller.  If I've done everything right, the bow should have decent tiller and be at target weight with 4-6" or so to spare.

It never works out perfectly but this is my goal.

[Art B]

Know the proper moisture content for the type wood you're going to use (no moisture meter required). And then only start bending your bow once you reach proper moisture content.

Like John, I rough my stave/billets out to close to finish dimensions and let dry in the proper enviroment (35-45% R/H @ 70-80 degrees).

Again, like John, I have my limbs properly bending (and each limb mostly tillered out) before the bow ever hit's the tillering tree. And I only use the tillering tree to achieve EVEN tiller. From there it's straight to the short string for weight reduction to my final draw length. Art

[b.glass]

I was at a site where the guy said that he always bends the limbs back slightly after unstringing and it helps keeps his set low. I can see possible problems with this. What do you all think. This man sells "fantasy" bows. Mostly hickory and red oak.

[George Tsoukalas]

Set happens. Buildalongs are on my site. They may help you. Jawge
 http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/

[DVSHUNTER]

like jawge said... Set happens. You can't build a bow without damaging wood cells. The trick is to only damage the ones that have to be to damaged to bend the bow. Proper design for weight, moisture, and tillering are key to reducing set. Along with never overstressing the limbs, which damages wood fiber, also is a no no. Just go slow and make sure your limbs are built to handle the stress. For me, it all came to experience gained from this site, and personal failures and succeses. JMO though, I'm no expert.

[4est trekker]

My initial method is very close to John's so that when I get to the tiller tree, I should be bending very close to even tiller (although wood is organic and can't be forced into a "recipe."  Then I do as Pat does...low brace to start, working 1" of draw at a time.  My biggest helper, though, is Eric Krewson's tillering gizmo.  That will really help reduce undue stress, hinging, and set due to uneven tiller.  

But like Jawge said (I seem to be following on everyone's coat tails, huh?) set is natural and unavoidable to some extent.  You can offset it by inducing reflex so that the net effect doesn't yield string follow.  If you induce 2" of reflex and the bow takes 2" of set, you're still looking at a dead-even profile and a good shooter.  

[George Tsoukalas]

...when I get 2 in or under I'm happier than a straight grained red oak board at Home Depot.    Jawge

[Roy Steele]

Seams all of you found ways of not over stessing your limbs.

[ranger 3]

I think I have build some decent bows but I still get set. Still working on that.

[Pat B]

Bona, I've heard of folks bending their limbs backwards to reduce(the appearance of) set. It is not a good idea because you can lift a splinter on the belly where the rings feather but also it won't reduce the set. Set is set...ie, damaged (crushed) wood cells and maybe stretched cells on the back. Being organic wood is not indestructable. All we can do is try to minimize the overstressing of the wood. And just because a bows has set doesn't mean it won't shoot well, just not as well as one with less set. If you can put an arrow in the boiler room of a deer with a bow with 10" of set, it is still a dead deer.

[John Scifres]

If you want to make the unstrung profile look better, you can do it that way Bona.  It helps when doing buildalongs and trying to impress your peers.  Not that I'd ever do that    

But to really measure set, you have to do it immediately after a shooting session and unstringing the bow.  Even a minuite or two makes a difference.

[hova]

john says what i have noticed. when i first unstring my d-bow,  it looks like i have about 2" of set. after sitting in the corner overnight unstrung , its down to 1/2 inch.


im no expert , but i am a member of the "set happens" club. if youre absolutely against set , id suggest glass bows...


stickbow anonymous
-hov

[b.glass]

I agree that set happens and is actually a good thing if not in excess. My goal is for  <1 in. I had a hickory bow this summer....need I say more? It was difficult to get the RH at a proper level even in the hot box. I try not to over stress the limbs but I'm not as methodical as I could be.

When I saw what this guy does I wanted to ask what you guys thought about it and thought you might have some tricks I hadn't heard of. I haven't heard anything new. And you mentioned somethings about the backward bending thing I hadn't thought of. It is just hiding set, not removing it.

I read alot of the threads here cause you never know when you'll pick up something new! Thanks for all your thoughts!

[Art B]

I think using tension and/or trunk wood (in matching billet form) is your best bet for lower set.

If you have a band saw for splicing then building a bow from matching billets is the way the go B............. Art

[4est trekker]

Forgot to mention that I never pull past my intended draw length or weight.  Perhaps others have mentioned that, so sorry if it was redundant. Also, I've seen the video you referenced.  In fact, there was a thread on it not too long ago.  The others are dead-on...don't do it  

[hova]

what vid is this???


-hov