Newest Bow

started tiller earlier:

http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...C/IMG_0131.jpg

That's nice.

and when does this one break?

god willing, it doesn't.

it's not tillered to draw yet. i'm currently correcting some limb twist.

i didn't do much with it today.

ive seen this alot. what are you guys doing with that board drawing back your bows?

It's called a tillering stick.

Stick the bow at the top in the middle.

Pull string to first notch, look at limb tiller. If ya like it then go to the second notch. If you don't like it, make pencil marks and take off wood.

Continue till you get to your draw length.

oh thatts pretty cool. so do you make your own or is it a store bought thing?

i make my own.

i'd like to set up a tillering tree built into the wall of my shop, with a pulley and a scale, but i mostly use that one.

it's too short [can only use it to 23"], and so i usually tiller by eye once everything seems to be bending well through most of the draw. i just used a 1x2" hardwood scrap, made a cutout for the bow's handle to rest on and measured off lines every inch down the front side of it. i then cut little notches out from these with a bandsaw and rounded the edges off with sandpaper [so not to fray the tillering string].

i plan to make a longer one soon, so i'll post some pictures if you like.

very much thank you

you know; most of the time i live, i learn, and as long as i'm always moving forward i'm happy with where i'm at.

but, every once in a while, i hate my skill/experience level.

i thought i had this one down, but after tillering out the limb twis, i'm looking like at least 10lb underweight. it has to be the walnut lam, because it was parallel when i started, and now that it's bending more evenly, the right side of the bottom and left side of the top limbs are way thinner.

i may have to sand the belly fat again and glue on that cherry after all.

im not good at this but im starting to maek out these conversations. and that sucks. but you never know. this could turn out to be the best bow ever

i can already tell it's got great shooting properties, beneath that little excess wood remaining. now let's just see if i can get that excess off without taking anything vital with it.

i don't know whether i want to add that cherry lam so late in the game. it'd be a lot more work.

maybe i should grind out another 'boo backing and start a new one. if i go that route, i can keep this current one for now.

i like the way it's tuning out, but in the end i need to be able to hand david a bow to suit his needs.

whos david?

he's the friend i'm building this bow for.

im sure he will love it. i know a friend who tried to make me a bow. he came to school with a lash mark on his face the neext day. rushed through it and the string came back to "bite" him

it doesnt seem like you guys cut your own wood. . . do you guys buy it or what?

Both.

I cut my own hickory and elm.

I trade for osage, hickory, lemonwood (if I can find it). Trying to find yew right now.

When I cut my own, first thing is I take off the bark, split it and seal the ends. Then let dry for a year or two.

I also purchase board wood from hardwood lumber stores. Mostly hickory, have used maple and black walnut, pref. hickory.

Home Depot has red oak, I will sometimes thumb through the boards looking for the perfect board, have yet to find one. You don't have to be so picky if you want to back it with boo or hickory.

also both, though i mostly re-saw my own wood for composite/laminate bows.

what is "boo"? and i can just use a board to make a bow?

you can certainly use board lumber to make a bow. a lot of the bows i make are simple board bows.

http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...w/Finished.jpg

http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/HPIM2301.jpg

http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/HPIM2297.jpg

http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/IMG_0379.jpg

http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...d/IMG_0113.jpg

if you make a board bow, board selection is pretty important.