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Update on 120# yew warbow - I don't like to complain, but...
WillS:
Thanks for the replies guys! All very interesting.
So far, I've tried only Flemish twist, with very few twists. In fact my last attempt had no twists at all.
I tiller with a pulley system, and I draw the bow on the tiller to around 6-8" then string it with the short string, and when I release the tension the short string just stretches out until the bow is flat again. I've even tried taking the bow up to around 12" on the long string and doing the same, and always the string (16 strand FastFlight Plus) stretches out. The string is well stretched before I use it (I always use my strings as tillering long strings before shortening and using as short strings)
I'm convinced I'm either doing something fundamentally wrong either with the string making (never had an issue before though) or the particular batch of FF is crap. Doesn't sound likely though!
As for the sidenocks, Simon Stanley is a big fan of double bowyers knots on super heavy bows with side nocks, so perhaps that's the way to go. Not sure. Steve Stratton has been experimenting with the theory that the sidenocks were removable, and were always kept tied to the string, and the bow would be strung by slipping the nocks onto the bow each time. I know Dave Pim made a stunningly gorgeous Italian yew warbow with removable side nocks. I'll have to play around with them I guess.
Marc St Louis:
I only use endless loop with heavy bows and FF as I found that the material is too slippery for a timber hitch
WillS:
That's interesting, thanks. I've yet to try an endless loop as it requires a long jig (I think?) and I always make up my strings in the hand, as it's dead simple to do a Flemish that way. I've got enough of the FF+ left to try though, so perhaps that's the best way forward before buying more material.
Del has been incredibly generous and offered to send me a string, which is most appreciated but my autodidactic nature needs to at least attempt a few!
toomanyknots:
--- Quote from: WillS on December 15, 2013, 09:12:01 am ---That's interesting, thanks. I've yet to try an endless loop as it requires a long jig (I think?) and I always make up my strings in the hand, as it's dead simple to do a Flemish that way. I've got enough of the FF+ left to try though, so perhaps that's the best way forward before buying more material.
Del has been incredibly generous and offered to send me a string, which is most appreciated but my autodidactic nature needs to at least attempt a few!
--- End quote ---
There is an awesome guy on youtube called the backyard bowyer, he makes pvc bows, but he has a lot of tutorial videos on there. One of them is a tutorial for an endless loop string jig, I made one and it cost me like 20 dollars, and was real easy to make. I also made a serving jig from a video he has, and it works better than my 20 dollar one, and cost like a dollar to make. He's like an archery macgyver.
WillS:
I actually watched that earlier, it was pretty well explained and laid out. Looks like a whoooooole lot of faffing about though, when compared to a double laid-in Flemish. Don't need any sort of jigs for Flemish...
I dunno, this is pretty odd. Plenty of bowyers and archers I know and shoot with use double loop Flemish for warbows, so I can't see why that's the issue here.
Bear in mind that the bow isn't finished being tillered. I can't finish it, because I can't brace it! So I have no idea how heavy the bow REALLY is. All I know is that it's about 115# when it's drawn to 8" or so on the long string. It's highly unlikely, and conversations with Del have made it pretty clear, but I guess there might be a chance the bow is way too heavy yet. I just can't tell because I've never taken the bow off the short string.
One thing that's really weird is that whatever string material you use must eventually stop stretching? But I'm using a really, really old and well stretched string and I keep shortening it to get the bow to brace, and of course it stretches. When I take the bow off the tiller, the string is in both loops, but hanging slack. So I shorten it again, and the same thing happens. This has been going on for months now, as I can only really do any tillering at weekends. I just thought that eventually the string would stop stretching, but it seems to have infinite stretch!
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