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Hazel warbow

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Lucasade:
So I've finally got a bit of time to crack on with this - it's all roughed out and I'm doing the final shaping before it goes on the tiller (which will be when I've built the tiller rig...). Am I right in thinking the ideal shape is an inflated square? And is there any advantage to slightly trapping the back?

Also one limb has a lot of reflex and the other is nearly flat, so I'm thinking it will make my life easier if I steam out some or all of the reflex before I start tillering. I will be heat treating further down the line.

Finally I'm aiming for 70-80# @30" with side nocks - do I need nock overlays during tillering or on the finished bow?

WillS:
Trapping the back depends on the quality of the timber.  There are some that say all white woods need to be trapped (especially for heavy bows) but if the wood is good enough in compression it doesn't require it at all.  Bend tests will help you decide that, otherwise the best anybody else can do is guess and offer personal opinion.

Ideal shape is again whatever you think will suit that particular piece of hazel best.  There are "safe" cross sections such as a rounded back and flat belly, and a straightforward rectangle with the corners rounded, but you may well find that despite starting with a particular shape in mind, as you tiller and learn how the wood is behaving that will change before the bow is finished.  I've seen guys over in Scandinavia who make warbows almost exclusively with white woods use almost circular sections for hazel, ash, elm and other white wood bows up to about 140lb or so, as the timber they select can take that approach without failing. 

Helpful right?!  :P

I guess if you want to play it safe, and potentially have a slightly over-built and slower bow but a heavy working bow nonetheless, keep everything as flat as possible on the belly, keep the bow wider than usual and make sure the corners on the back of the bow are heavily rounded - perhaps not to the extent of trapping, but definitely knock the corners off and smooth it out.

Oh, and definitely don't shape the final 12" or so of each limb until it's well past brace height.  Otherwise you'll suddenly find yourself with all sorts of alignment issues, width issues and so on.  White woods are fussy, and you gotta let 'em be that way ;)

WillS:
Don't need nock overlays, no.  When I'm making bows with sidenocks I cut the tillering nocks on the side straight away into the bare wood, and leave them like that until the bow is finished.  Especially at 80lb or something, you're not going to have an issue.  You can actually leave the tips completely bare on the finished bow, with no horn at all.  The horn is only for soft woods like yew, which can be chewed up by a string. 

If you're feeling particularly confident, and the brace shape is looking really good and you're happy that the bow will finish without breaking (and there are no chrysals!) you can fit horn nocks to the bow once you're at brace height on the tiller. 

Lucasade:
That's great Will thanks. I'm definitely playing it safe on this one! Maybe in 20 years I'll be in a position to re-tiler it  ???

One big thing I learnt from the bow I made for my boy is that the wood tells you what it wants to do during tillering, it came out a somewhat different shape than it started and what I envisioned it would do.

meanewood:
Can't add to what Will said, he's spot on with those observations and advise! 

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