Main Discussion Area > English Warbow
Tillering problems. I really think its the wood's fault, not the bowyer.
toomanyknots:
--- Quote from: Goose Fletch on May 28, 2014, 01:41:27 am ---
--- Quote from: DarkSoul on May 27, 2014, 07:58:09 pm ---Is the bow braced to a full brace height? It should be, by now. What weight are you drawing it to, in the last picture?...
--- End quote ---
Thanks, and yes, it is braced to full height at the moment. It pulls to about 75# right now. Just gotta keep scraping and exercising but I am planning to pike it as well. Its pretty long right now.
Knots, I agree with you, 72" is too short. thankfully its 84" long haha ;) (sorry for not indicating its length in inches, I just lazily wrote 7 feet in the original post). If I pike it, would I need to grip it in the center of the new length or should I hold the bow where I used to hold it before piking?
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LOL sorry, my mistake! I'm about retarded, ;D. (No idea where I got 72") Yeah, you got plenty of length to pike the weaker limb! I'd go about an inch at a time until the tiller looks even and then see what weight I was working with.
Badger:
Was the bow stored in such a way that you are confident that the moisture is equal on both sides of the bow. I used to store all my bows in a big drum and the bottom limbs were always showing weaker after setting in the drum for some time.
Goose Fletch:
--- Quote from: Del the cat on May 28, 2014, 04:40:47 am ---Have a look at this post from my blog, it shows how you can experiment with piking a limb by different ammounts without taking off any wood!
I had exactly the same 'wak limb' problem.
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/drat-lost-some-weight.html
Del
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Haha thanks del, I know exactly what you mean when you say you've had a belly full of belly. Brilliant idea, i don't know how you come up with these.
--- Quote from: toomanyknots on May 28, 2014, 11:04:22 am ---
--- Quote from: Goose Fletch on May 28, 2014, 01:41:27 am ---
--- Quote from: DarkSoul on May 27, 2014, 07:58:09 pm ---Is the bow braced to a full brace height? It should be, by now. What weight are you drawing it to, in the last picture?...
--- End quote ---
Thanks, and yes, it is braced to full height at the moment. It pulls to about 75# right now. Just gotta keep scraping and exercising but I am planning to pike it as well. Its pretty long right now.
Knots, I agree with you, 72" is too short. thankfully its 84" long haha ;) (sorry for not indicating its length in inches, I just lazily wrote 7 feet in the original post). If I pike it, would I need to grip it in the center of the new length or should I hold the bow where I used to hold it before piking?
--- End quote ---
LOL sorry, my mistake! I'm about retarded, ;D. (No idea where I got 72") Yeah, you got plenty of length to pike the weaker limb! I'd go about an inch at a time until the tiller looks even and then see what weight I was working with.
--- End quote ---
Not at all man. Thanks, I'll give it a go and try it out tomorrow. I really want to get this bow overwith. Its been agonisingly unresponsive. Unfortunately i have 2 more blanks just like it. Maybe I'll splice and match them, though i doubt it will yield the kinda bows we like in this thread.
--- Quote from: Badger on May 28, 2014, 12:23:49 pm --- Was the bow stored in such a way that you are confident that the moisture is equal on both sides of the bow. I used to store all my bows in a big drum and the bottom limbs were always showing weaker after setting in the drum for some time.
--- End quote ---
Unfortunately i have no way of knowing, except that it was kiln dried. Since it was purchased, its been stored indoors and we are just recovering from a very dreadful winter. So no ambient moisture to be worried about. Never thought about moisture, but i will be attempting to heat treat this bow as well. Btw, im planning to use the mass formula you sent me a little while ago!
WillS:
Don't forget you do want one limb stiffer than the other at the end. The bottom limb should be slightly stiff because of the way it's actually shot as compared to how it's held on a tiller.
Are you pulling the string from the middle and supporting the bow in the middle? If you are, leave one limb stiff and draw the bow in front of a mirror (or get somebody to draw it while you watch) and you'll be surprised how different it looks. It will come round nicely in the hand if it's slightly stiff now.
If you've accounted for this, and you're pulling the string say an inch above center and supporting the bow slightly below center then you do want to be going for an even bend on the tiller tree, but it's still incredibly hard to emulate a real draw on a tiller.
It.probably isn't the woods "fault" per se - all wood is different and as a result it all throws up different challenges every time. There's no such thing as a perfect stave - the next one might not have as obvious density issues, but instead might have grain run out, hidden rot, knots, pins, spalting, twist, deflex..... And so on. You just gotta go with it each time and beat it. For what it's worth though, there's no reason not to splice your next one - a few really talented bowyers have made super heavy warbows (160# plus) that bend full compass despite being spliced.
Goose Fletch:
--- Quote from: WillS on May 29, 2014, 06:31:03 am ---Don't forget you do want one limb stiffer than the other at the end. The bottom limb should be slightly stiff because of the way it's actually shot as compared to how it's held on a tiller.
Are you pulling the string from the middle and supporting the bow in the middle? If you are, leave one limb stiff and draw the bow in front of a mirror (or get somebody to draw it while you watch) and you'll be surprised how different it looks. It will come round nicely in the hand if it's slightly stiff now.
If you've accounted for this, and you're pulling the string say an inch above center and supporting the bow slightly below center then you do want to be going for an even bend on the tiller tree, but it's still incredibly hard to emulate a real draw on a tiller.
It.probably isn't the woods "fault" per se - all wood is different and as a result it all throws up different challenges every time. There's no such thing as a perfect stave - the next one might not have as obvious density issues, but instead might have grain run out, hidden rot, knots, pins, spalting, twist, deflex..... And so on. You just gotta go with it each time and beat it. For what it's worth though, there's no reason not to splice your next one - a few really talented bowyers have made super heavy warbows (160# plus) that bend full compass despite being spliced.
--- End quote ---
no problem, I have learned about intentionally stiffening the bottom limb here. actually. and yes, pulling the bow and the string from the middle. YEAH! it absolutely looks different in someone else's hands, in this case, my much larger younger brother. haha.I see, thanks for sharing, until now I thought a tree tiller replicates the human drawing the bow.
yeah yeah i know :( :( its never actually really the woods fault. really? 160# despite being spliced? do you have any links by some chance? i'll look around on this forum as well. thanks for the help Will.
i just cut an inch off the bottom and suddenly the bow looks great. still underweight but i will probably continue pruning it.
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