First Self Bow

[Msturm]

So after a trip to the pig hunting grounds I cut down some guava and Eucalyptus to take home and dry. Fast forward 8 months I am visiting Manny on the N. Shore getting some advice and watching a master work.  His advice was to practice on the Eucalyptus (because it might blow up in my hands anyway.) and then once I feel like I know my tools, and have it down go on to the guava.  I accepted this advice.   I finished my first selfbow from a stave. Its is Eucalyptus of an unknown variety, It is 62inches nock to nock, it draws 52# at 28, and has a hemp wrapped hill style handle and some other wrapping for looks.   I used a 2x4 with notches cut into it every inch for a tillering stick and I believe that this is the top problem with my tiller. I am currently building a pulley tillering tree. set up like Roy's.

I know the tiller needs plenty of work, I have made some adjustments since these pics were taken, It shoots remarkably slow and the hand shock could chip your teeth.

Here it is...
 

Forgive my form in the last picture. Holding the bow strait up and down has me all goofed up.

Thanks for the look.

[Pat B]

From looking at the unbraced profile I'd say the student paid attention to his teacher. That's a nice flat profile and unusual for a first time bowyer.  One thing that might reduce the hand shock a little and speed up the arrow would be to get your outer limb(except the last 6")bending a little more. I can't see the back profile of the tips but they can be pretty narrow and that will help too.
 Manny makes beautiful bows and is the master with guava. Study Manny's bows and you can't go wrong.

[Msturm]

Thanks for the pointers Pat B. I will try to get a bit more movement out of the outer limbs... I will take the tips down a bit too.

[mikkekeswick]

Really good first try  
Yes the handshock is because there is too much bend happening near the handle and not enough mid - outer limb.

[George Tsoukalas]

Tiller looks pretty good to me.
I am not seeing that much bend at the handle.

The feeling of hand shock is pretty relative.The tips look pretty chunky but I can't say for sure because I never worked  euc.
Jawge

[takefive]

X 2 what Jawge said.  Unless it had a lot of reflex to begin with, it looks like it didn't take much set.
Nice work on your first selfbow.

[Msturm]

Well geeze!  Thanks everyone! You guys are making me feel dangerously confident about this next guava stick. Thanks for the positive feed back. I thought this one was kind of a mess. It didn't take much set but the bottom limb was only really working mid limb. I have sense leveled it out a bit.   Still working down the tips.

[Pat B]

I made a guava bow with a stave Manny sent me a few years ago. He also sent a snaky one but bugs got to it before I could work it. Guava in very nice bow wood.