Updated! Rollercoaster stave: a ride-a-long (take 2). . DONE!! Finished pics:)

[k-hat]

Ok, i picked a doozy for my first stave bow and would like a little advice on finishing the taper and tillering this little bugger.  I've already done some straightening to get string running through the handle.  Also, should i leave some character or straighten some more?  Hackberry by the way, 57", goin for about 30#:


                               

                               

Thanks in advance boys!  Thanks Pearl for encouraging me to post it, i probly would've stubbornly stumbled along otherwise                  

[PEARL DRUMS]

If the undualtions arent more than 5/8-3/4" variance, I leave them flat on the belly side and just narrow the limb. It takes a pretty good dip for me to follow it on the belly side. Place the bow back against a wall and see how even your tips and relfex are. Thats a good starting point. If the handle isnt parallel with the wall I like to heat it up and make it parallel so it starts even on the tree and your hand.

[okie64]

Those bumps of reflex are never going to look like they are bending enough during tillering but if you keep your thickness taper smooth and gradual they will be doing their fair share of the bending even though they dont look like it.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Heat treating that belly wont hurt a bit either. Hackberry loves heat.

[k-hat]

Thanks guys, your info is helpful.  I put it up against the wall and the back of the handle is parallel with the wall, need to square up the belly of the handle though.  I'm thinking of adding a little recurve to the tips.  Haven't decided about heat treating, probly won't for time sake, wanna have'r done by Christmas. (I do LOVE the smell of hack when heated.  Bet it would smoke some meat nicely!)

 

Originally posted by PEARL DRUMS:
If the undualtions arent more than 5/8-3/4" variance, I leave them flat on the belly side and just narrow the limb.

Still trying to wrap my mind around this one.  So if there is, say, a hump on the back, you leave the belly flat and remove wood on the sides of the hump?  With this method, the front profile would be a little wavy instead of straight or straight taper?

[PEARL DRUMS]

Exactly. I would rather have my sides dip in and out as needed and keep my belly pancake flat. A slight width reduction makes a big difference. Your stave doesnt look too bad at all. Im betting it will bend evenly. Dips and uneven areas on your belly can and does cause chrysals if not handled with care, even still it can.

[k-hat]

Yeah, i figured somebody would say "well son it's nearly straight!"        But i've been doing board bows so it's a little intimidating, plus i still have the "don't wanna screw it up" syndrome!

I was looking at Marc St. Louis' hawthorne bow over on PA and his had some similar issues that it looks like he handled as you are saying.  I did ask him just to confirm.  No offense i hope, just wanna get all the perspective i can before the shavings fly!

It's starting to make sense.  If i can kind of visualize how it should progress, that helps me a bunch in my approach and confidence.

Hmm, if a bow's limbs are pretty heavily reflexed, should they look more stiff at brace than if they were straight?  Seems like that's what i've seen on a few posted.

[KellyG]

K-hat,
I can't wait to see it done. Good luck on that one.

[Stiks-n-Strings]

That stave ought to make a dandy little bow for sure.

[k-hat]

I sure hope she does!  this one's for the wife, planning on backing with silk and decorating it up a bit, more than my usual.  

I just about finished laying out profiles today (or should i say re-laying out).  It'd probly pull 50# as it is, need it down to bout 30.  

For thickness, here's what i did:  held pencil with my fingers braced against the back where the pencil overlapped and touched the side so i could trace a continuous line 1/4 inch from edge of back & it followed the natural contours of the stick.  I'm using that line as a reference point to measure and draw in my thickness taper.  There are no real abrupt humps or dips to speak of luckily.  Couldn't figure any other way to do it because of the curves and crown.  next is rasping and scraping down to those lines.

Silly or does that sound about right?

[PEARL DRUMS]

Dont draw taper lines in, I dont anyway. The back usually isnt consistent enough to rely on that like you do with boards. You have the right idea drawing a parallel line with the back. Use that as an eyeball taper reference. You really only need an 1/8" taper to get a good start floor tillering. Use your Gizmo(tm) after that.

[k-hat]

Sounds like a plan!! Save me some time and work eyeballing it:) , and my gizmo's rarin to go!  Thanks Chris  

[k-hat]

Well, rasped'r down and got'r on the tree . . er . . wall.  Anyhow,wanna make sure i'm looking at this right and figured that any other stave rookies hanging around might benefit, so i plan on posting progress as i go from here.

I've got it on a short string that just lays on the belly, little to no tension.  Here's the pics:

 

 

 

So here's my thoughts so far:

 

That hingey area has a place where a little more meat came out than intended when i split the stave originally.  Figured it would come out when i worked in the profile, but i figured wrong    .  I left more meat around that area as i tapered, and generally left the whole stave about 15 pounds heavier than final goal so i had plenty room for tillering and any errors.  Here's a close up of the problem area:

 

I know it's not a prime specimen, but i'm backing with silk, keeping it light, so i figure she'll still make a decent shooter.  

Ok, lemme have it . . .

Thanks for your past and future help   :D

[k-hat]

Played around with photo editor a little tryna get a composite image to see what's bending where:

 

Ok, off to bed, look'n forward to hear what y'all have to say after ya wake up  

[Stiks-n-Strings]

Looks to me like you need to get your middle 1/3 bending more. Looking pretty good so far.
  Might go ahead and see if you can get a low brace on it, about 2 or 3 inches
 Just use your Gizmo and go slow. Don't pull it ant farther until you get the stiff area bending.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Get those mids moving allot more Kevin. All your bending is at the fades. Dont bend it at all until you remove some material from the middle. Your only inducing set right now. That overcooked part probably wont hurt you.

[k-hat]

thanks PD and Stiks, that was my assessment. This was the first pull for just a brief moment to snap the picture.  Had to pull that far before i could really see what was going on.  As it bends down to that point, the tips flatten out some but it was quickly evident that the right one is a lever on that weak spot.  The "overcooked" part didn't even get any dry heat, it turned that color after i steamed the handle/inners so i could get the string to lay over the handle.  Didn't expect that.

Anyhow, i'll get those mids workd on this afternoon or crack-o-dawn tomorrow.

Thanks!!

[k-hat]

Well, I did some rasping and checked, then rasped some more and checked, and a couple more rounds of that then here we are:

 


at about 17":

 

Think i'm ready for low brace?  I think I see a little stiffness in the left midlimb that i'll need to work on.  Left my tiller gizmo at friend's house (got him addicted recently    ), sure wishing i had it!!!!  

Also, seems like i remember George Stoneberg saying something about on a stave the v's formed on the belly by the rings should point to the tips, they seem to give me a good indicator of the taper progression?  Seems like cheating almost, sure don't work that way on the board bows!

Tryna decide when to back her too. I know i've got some serious violations on the back of the right limb --about the last 8 inches there are 4 or 5 exposed rings, not to mention the insect grooves i had to sand past, couple still show.  

As always, y'alls input is greatly appreciated!    

[PEARL DRUMS]

Think i'm ready for low brace? I think I see a little stiffness in the left midlimb that i'll need to work on. Left my tiller gizmo at friend's house (got him addicted recently  ), sure wishing i had it!!!!

Your right about the left side. A gizmo is cool but you can grab anything square and flat 6-8" long and take your time if you lost your gizmo.

[k-hat]

Thanks bro, i'll work on that in the morning, unless i decide to go ahead and steam and bend that handle again to get a little better alignment with my string, still laying a little to far left.