Bracing

[peacefullymadewarbows]

Little late to the party but thought I'd throw my half a penny in the ring. I'll use a long string to get the tips bent only as far they would be if braced and maybe another inch past that. Just looking for obvious stiffs and hinges at that point. Once it looks good and the tips have moved six inches I brace it about 4" and add a twist or two to the string as I tiller and it sort of organically ends up at full brace at the end of the process. Often times there's no scraping between that and first brace if my tapers are good from the start. Was fun to read everybody's different processes.

[simk]

Very interesting thoughts on a critical topic!

I have another 1/4 cent:

As many I think directly going to brace after an good taper should be possible and going to brace early is very important to see how the string tracks. Still in most cases the bow then is way to heavy to brace or its a bad bad struggle.

Doing my first sinewed bow I was advised to build a board to exercise the sinew, further tillering and going to brace. Once on brace you can measure the draw weight on a single tip and the # you get will be the draw weight on 20 to 22" draw length. This turned out to be correct and the whole procedure indeed was very helpful and relaxed. I will probably use this method to first brace and early tillering also for next builds.

Cheers

DC: Remember that you once showed us your smart device for stringing recurved bows...

[Selfbowman]

For years I floor tillered and strung the bow to brace. I still do that if not trying to hit a specific weight. Heavy bows 70# or more it's easier to long string them especially if trying to hit say 70# for example.
Arvin

[SLIMBOB]

Same here Arvin. Heavy bows get a long string. So do bows with certain issues, like bad knots or character issues. On those I’m going more slowly as a precaution. But even with those troublemakers I’m going to low brace once I feel good about the floor tiller.

[Bryce]

Think about that.  If you brace early, very heavy, lots of belly wood ends up on the floor.  If anything has taken set, it's been removed.  As you remove that wood you lighten the load as you go, so less strain on the wood, less set.  Getting a string on it early means you can get the brace profile dialed in way early.  Once that brace profile is right, the rest is dialing in minor adjustments as you go.  Since your still heavy, a good bit of wood will still be removed.  Any damaged wood ends up on the floor.  I know this to be true.  My bows as a rule hold their profiles well. I am the first to tell people that in this craft there are many ways to skin that cat, and I don't claim my way is the right way.  It's just my way.  But I will claim that my way works.
Bryce is right.  Good floor tiller is critical.

For the most part, yes! Absolutely. Whatever set is left in the wood a good heat treat takes care of all that nonsense now the line.
From floor tiller to low brace, then adjust the braced profile while slightly working the limbs(you can’t over exercise it) and that’s basically it. Your usually above weight, unless your making an extra heavy bow. when you start pulling the stave on the tillering setup you never need to pull past your desired weight; reducing string follow. And if the tiller is good from the start it’s just about nice even wood removal.

I’ve done this for a really long time and now, to where I brace the bow and it’s profile  hardly needs messing with. Most of the time it’s spot on, give or take a 1/4”. just takes practice I guess.get a good feel of the limbs when floor tillering. I like to use my weight to judge it, just leaning on it a bit.

For heavier bows I do the same thing... sorta. I have two boat trailer rollers spaced apart and then I can take my knee and push the handle down and eye ball it, and slip a string on. Haven’t made anything over #85 mind ya.
I also use it for breaking in my laminate bows.

But like what’s been said, whatever you’re most comfortable with that gets you the results you’re aiming for is the best way to do it✌🏼

[SLIMBOB]

I know this might seem counter-intuitive to some, the thinking being that avoiding undue set by avoiding the strain that bracing brings with it. The problem with that is chasing after a hinge late in the game. Bryce mentioned “nice even wood removal”. If the brace profile is good, that’s what you will be doing. The later you wait to brace it, the later you start dealing with balance issues. Balance within the limb and between the limbs. Your 4 lbs above your target and still working on the tiller. Then your 4 lbs under your target and still working on the tiller. This is not necessarily what has to happen, and many guys tiller this way successfully, but it often goes that way for the new guys. Brace early and avoid that problem. 

[sleek]

I know this might seem counter-intuitive to some, the thinking being that avoiding undue set by avoiding the strain that bracing brings with it. The problem with that is chasing after a hinge late in the game. Bryce mentioned “nice even wood removal”. If the brace profile is good, that’s what you will be doing. The later you wait to brace it, the later you start dealing with balance issues. Balance within the limb and between the limbs. Your 4 lbs above your target and still working on the tiller. Then your 4 lbs under your target and still working on the tiller. This is not necessarily what has to happen, and many guys tiller this way successfully, but it often goes that way for the new guys. Brace early and avoid that problem.

I think long string tillering prevents all those issues.

[SLIMBOB]

I wouldn’t argue with that. My question Sleek would be how long is your long string?  I long string tiller as well. My long string is long enough to get 2-3-4 inches of brace height, straight from floor tiller. Now, I’m fixing the balance and shape early. Excercise a little, work on the balance. Repeat, repeat. When it’s right, it will pretty much stay right the rest of the way, assuming I don’t screw it up. Again, not suggesting you or anyone else is wrong for using a longer long string. Lots of ways will work and I’ve tried most of them. Just food for thought.

[IrishJay]

I'm still pretty new to the bow making game, so my method may be dead wrong, but the hand full of bows I've managed to finish tillering without a kersplosion have all come out with pretty even tiller.

My tillering string is a single ended flemish twist about 85." After floor tiller I put the fixed loop on one limb and draw the string as tight as i can, without bending the limbs, while tying a timber hitch to the other limb. I then tiller all the way out to full draw with the string at that length. Then I shorten the string up about an inch and repeat, until I shorten the string all the way down to my desired brace ht.

[SLIMBOB]

I wouldn’t judge your method or any bowmakers method as right or wrong. Having been at this for decades now, what I do today is different in many ways to what it was...early on. What you described is pretty close to what I do now. What I do now is a refinement over many years of what I started out doing. Some of that refinement, in fact most of it I guess, is the result of trail and error. I would see or read something on PA, or another bowmaker I would try it. If it worked it stuck around. Point is, my approach today is different than when I started. The guy that got me started, tipistuff, doesn’t recognize my tillering method any longer because it is so different than what he taught me all those years ago (the old fart🤣). We were talking a few weeks ago and he figures he’s made over 200 bows. Though our methods are now different, the end results are the same.

[burchett.donald]

      The "SAFE" approach for a "new person" is to use a long string maybe out to 20" making sure he is "balanced" and never going over their "intended draw weight"...Years ago, I ruined a hickory flatbow bracing to early, thinking it was time.......It looked like a hockey stick once strung to my surprise and beginning eye's...One limb took terrible set...And of coarse I used the step through method...Next I was sitting in a chair trying to get it off my leg...
       For the experienced folks it's great we can brace early...Want to make sure we don't take a newbie down a bad road here...There's nothing wrong with taking your time on the long string folks...
                                                                                                                  Don

P.S. Give your stringing methods also

[Del the cat]

...Next I was sitting in a chair trying to get it off my leg...

... made me laugh!... 
Del

[burchett.donald]

 Me to Del, I think quite a few of us have been in that predicament a time or two...Lol, sometimes we have to laugh at ourselves...

[bjrogg]

I agree with slimbob and Don. My methods have changed completely since my first couple dozen bows. I've gained much more of a feel for what a well tillered bow should look a feel like during floor tillering. ( or in my case vice tillering)  It probably took me three weeks to tiller my first fairly well tillered bow. I started on long string at a very heavy floor tiller. I probably had it on the tree at least a couple hundred times. That was what I needed to do. It's how I would advise anyone starting out to proceed to. I also have done the hop around with the bow stuck on my leg routine. I have changed my method to push pull and my string to d-97. I've learned a lot about selfbows and not just making them.
Bjrogg

[Pat B]

I use a tiller string from floor tiller stage until I get about 8" of tip movement then I go to low brace(about 3') if everything is good, exercising easily trying not to go over ultimate draw weight. At this point I make the finished string for this bow. I use a loop at top and bowyers knot for the bottom limb and once braced and broken in I cut the tag end of the string short. This has helped me pre-stretch my B-50 strings which I have always used. If both limbs are bending evenly and together I continue on to full brace then full draw, exercise the limbs well(20 to 30 pulls to ultimate draw weight) as I remove wood. Once I'm within a few pounds of desired draw weight and everything is still OK I will shoot the bow a dozen or so times then back on the tree to see if that made a difference. Generally when I get to this point the bow is shot in and I loose very little weight, if any while sanding the tool marks out.
 I generally leave the handle blocky until this point and narrow the tips only after first brace. You don't need a finished handle or finished tips to tiller a bow and leaving then wide and thick makes it easier to make adjustments if needed.