Selfbow build along.

[Eric Krewson]

Thanks.

Your stave is not that bad, it just needs heat correction. I have made bows out of much worse. Don't believe everything you're told here, lots of armchair quarterbacks.

[Petrichor]

Thanks.

Your stave is not that bad, it just needs heat correction. I have made bows out of much worse. Don't believe everything you're told here, lots of armchair quarterbacks.

Yeah! And what's the worse that can happen it breaks? When I have another stave enroute? Part of learning at least I'm having a good time.

[Petrichor]

Generosity in the flesh! Thanks a mil eric!

[Forwardhandle]

From the pics that stave does not look to bad really, I straitened one that looked like a cresent moon using steam & dry heat , keep in mind theres  more then one way to skin a cat and with these self bows there are many varied opinions and it can be confusing , It drove me nuts when I first started making bows , tell I found a mentor that made more bows then any body I know & he told me bow making is nothing more then problem solving 101 & many bows later he was right ! I dont see to many arm chair bowyers here as other sites !

[Mad Max]

I started out making Selfbows (Osage) and really struggled with it.
The tiller Gizmo works great.
Is there a good floor tiller youtube?
I think floor tiller is very important

[Petrichor]

I started out making Selfbows (Osage) and really struggled with it.
The tiller Gizmo works great.
Is there a good floor tiller youtube?
I think floor tiller is very important

Yep clay hayes has one

[Forwardhandle]

Here is a way to adjust lateral bends with caul & clamps after steam straitening and well resting the stave you can use a caul shims & clamps, dry heat to do the last of the straiting , if your not adding reflex a simple 2 x 4 can be used !

[Petrichor]

Here is a way to adjust lateral bends with caul & clamps after steam straitening and well resting the stave you can use a caul shims & clamps, dry heat to do the last of the straiting , if your not adding reflex a simple 2 x 4 can be used !

So funny I was thinking about 2x4 last night!

[Forwardhandle]

Every body does it different but I have found steam gives the best bang for the buck it heats the wood over a larger area for big adjustments & dry heat for minor adjustments its more time consuming but stresses the wood lateral bends over a larger area less , almost any lumber can be turned into a caul , some times this stuff seems complicated but its not just requires action !

[Forwardhandle]

Here is before and after steam & dry heat caul etc , in my case the bow will be highly reflexed so I need to be fairly centered but if your not adding reflex you could do like Eric sugested with the handle alignment there is a good chapter on that in TBB !

[Petrichor]

Here is before and after steam & dry heat caul etc , in my case the bow will be highly reflexed so I need to be fairly centered but if your not adding reflex you could do like Eric sugested with the handle alignment there is a good chapter on that in TBB !

Havent decided on reflex yet. I guess that will depend on how straight I can get it.

[Forwardhandle]

Reflex can be touchy to tiller , do what ever you think is right but if it was me and it was my first bow I would just be happy to get a shooter , Im not saying that in a negetive way ,Im just saying the more performance oriented you make a bow glass or wood the higher chances of failure , ask me how I know that 

[Petrichor]

Reflex can be touchy to tiller , do what ever you think is right but if it was me and it was my first bow I would just be happy to get a shooter , Im not saying that in a negetive way ,Im just saying the more performance oriented you make a bow glass or wood the higher chances of failure , ask me how I know that 

Exactly my thoughts.  I am definitely gonna try and take the lateral bend out, twist out and then maybe the set out of one of the limbs. After that leaning towards just tillering.  However I have also thought of doing nothing. Right now the bottom limb is going to the left and the top line is going to the right and the string crosses the center the handle kinda like some asymmetrical miracle.  Though I don't know how long the bow would live with that left in there.

[Pat B]

For staves with too much reflex(more than 3" - 4") I like to take some of the reflex out as I straighten the stave. I'll work the stave down to maybe half draw then add an appropriate amount of reflex(3" - 4"). After that I'll kick the tips up a bit if that what I'm shooting for. Trying to get a heavily reflexed bow to brace and be dangerous to you and detrimental to the bow by overstressing it.

[Forwardhandle]

Pat's right about highly reflexed bows being dangerous to brace ,particularly if the reflex is put in the wrong areas ,reflex is a generic term for the tips being forward of the handle , but if you take a look in TBB & other sources at Tim Bakers proportional limb loading theory (it sounds complicated it's not) all he is saying is the limb does less work proportionally the farther out from the fades the limb goes , so if you put progressive reflex in according to that ,the less stressed the limb becomes, the vast majority of all reflex I put in any bow is in the mid to outers ,for one with wood bows you will keep more of it in a safe area , the rule of thumb for self bows with proper reflex is you will lose 1/2 of what's heated in.