-with what most would take for granted.We must assume that I know nothing of building bows,which really isn't far from the truth.I think I have done my research,but as stated,what most take for granted.It would be nice to have someone to sit down with a cup of coffee and talk bows,but....
1.how to tell if Lowes lumber is 1/4 sawn.
2.length of and material of tillering string.
3.when to back the bow.
4.how to tell when you are done(yeah I know)
5.length of riser to length of bow
6.length of bow according to type of wood
7.tapering vs equal thickness of limbs.
Well folks,hope this ain't too much at one time.Like I said it's just the basic's,the "ropes" if you will,the small things.Thanks.Will
got a whole nice reply typed up , only to hit submit and my laptop battery died , so now im on my eee ... here goes...
1: google quartersawn , and it will show you how to identify quarter and rift sawn.
2: long string should be long enough to get onto your tillering stick or tree. once you get the limbs bending an even amount (usually 10inches is what i see) , you put the short string on , just tied tight , not braced. then tiller as you were. ive seen all kinds of material for tiller strings. everything from regular bowstring material , to paracord. i used some cheap walmart knockoff paracord in the camping section. its actually a cotton daisy chain , with a poly shell. it holds up pretty good.
3:someone else will have to answer this , but from what i have seen , different backings go on at different times.
4:i havent gotten this far yet...
5: this is dependent on what your needs are. most people say that whatever your grip area is , add half of that length onto each end.
6: this is all dependent on what you want as well. they say long bows are more forgiving of tillering error , but from what i have seen , it all depends on what you want to tiller.
7: this is in a lot of build alongs , if a piece is twice as wide , i believe its 2x stronger , if its twice as thick , is 8x as strong.
hope it helps a little ,im still new , but the build alongs are priceless.
-hov
I am assuming a self bow (homogenous working material from belly to back) or a composite (two or more working materials from belly to back)
1. (http://star.walagata.com/w/horizoncustomhomes/qtr_sawn.jpg)
2. Dacron B-50 and 72" with a timber hitch knot on one end.
3. I back before tillering.
4. When the bow bends well and is at your target draw length and target draw weight. Tiller101 (http://sticknstring.webs.com/tiller101.htm)
5. There is no formula as far as I know. Most of my handles are 4" and my fades are 1-3" depending on the length of bow.
6. Draw length determines bow length first. Then material forces ther considerations. First rate bow woods (osage, good hickory, a couple others) are generally 60-64" for a 28" draw for a flatbow. Second string woods (average hickory, elm, ash, oaks) need to be a bit longer at 66-70" for 28" draw. Deep core longbows are a different matter.
7. Depends on style. Most bows have some taper. A pyramid style can be the same thickness.
as a side note, if you read the build along onthe *********** , you may get confused...he takes a plain sawn board and cuts pieces off the sides , and is then left with quartersawn pieces and thin laminate strips... i had i hard time understanding what they were talking about , cause build alons use different wood and different terms...
-hov
build a longs have been a great help to me,and thank you guy's for your help.now I have come up on a new issue;my current bow(hickory)is 59" groove to groove.the string jig i made has no provision for a string of this size,drill another hole between 58 and 60?
Use a bowyers knot(timber hitch) on the bottom limb and your string will be more adjustable. I set all my strings up like this. You can use the string for your tiller string first than adjust it as your final string.
There are buildalongs on my site including board info.
1. look at the end grain of the board. Grain straight up. Like this.
|||
Warning:the edge grain has to be straight with very few if any run outs or ups.
2.Sounds like you've been to my site. I use old sash cord for the long string.
3. I out backing on before stringing with the short string.
4. See my site.
5.hova, I recommend that beginners build bend in the handle bows with a 4 inch handle so that this is not an issue.
6. For a board bow that bends in the handle, double you draw and 20-30%. Too broad a question to answer here.
7. Keep your board full length to just past mid limb and taper to 1/2 inch nocks. Leave the board 1.5 in wide for 50-55#. 1 3/8 in wide for 45-50#. Do not narrow the handle and do not add a glue on.
8. My site
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/
9. Have fun. Once you have made a few you can branch out to more complicated designs.
Jawge
im not trying to be a nitpicker , but the imafge john posted is rift sawn , which to me is a better choice , but hard to find. heres an image that is a little clearer to the different cuts...
http://www.aboutcivil.com/imajes/fig6-4.jpg
ill have to edit if that didnt work...
heres one that shows the whole log in the particular style
http://www.wisegeek.com/images/quartersawn.jpg
-hov
Flat sawn =; Rift sawn //; Quarter ||. As seen from the butt. Jawge