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need floor tillering basics- St. Louis

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tom sawyer:
With regards to pressure of floor tillering, you're not trying to pole vault with the thing.  But you can lean on it a bit.  If you break a blank at the floor tillering stage, chances are you saved yourself a lot of time with a bad stave.

richpierce:
Thanks guys, I was using the wrong term.  It is naturally reflexed quite a bit.  As I hold it with the belly toward me the tips are pointing away from me and a string between the tips would like on the back side of the bow and be 3" off the handle.  The bow feels super strong and I need to floor tiller it some more, sounds like, then bend it till it has no curve side to side.  I think it would be best to stick with the natural reflex, is that right, and not straighten it or make "recurve ears"?

My only resources are the Traditional Bowyer Bible books volumes 1 and 2 right now.

I am at Washington University in St. Louis.

Badger:
Rich, Something I have been doinfg lately is using the long string a lot earlier in the process and using it longer into the process. When I get the limbs to a point that a firm but not hard push shows some even flex in both limbs I switch to long string and tillering tree. My long string is the same length as the bow with no brace height. Once I get the limbs even I pull the bow to almost full draw weight starting from the very begaining. Seldom ever come in underweight this way. Steve

tom sawyer:
3" of reflex is a lot, it will make the tillering a little more tricky but you'll have a better bow for it if you succeed.  I wouldn't add "ears" or static tips to the bow.  The tendency in tillering a highly reflexed stave, is to come in under weight.  This is because the thing feels so stiff early in the draw, that you are fooled into thinking it is still stiffer than it really is.  That, and when a limb is loaded up more from the reflex, it needs to be thinner to make the given weight.  Thinner limb, means a narrower thickness taper, which is harder to execute.  Its a touchy tiller, you can easily change the profile with a few swipes of a scraper.

You would do well to floor tiller prior to heat bending, it is easier to manipulate a skinnier piece of wood.

George Tsoukalas:
It's not the end of things as we know them because the string does no track exactly down the center. LOL. I think if you check my site which may help you with floor tillering, etc. I usually back a bow before stringing it for the first time. Jawge

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