I'm a beginner and starting to read the Bowyer's Bible vol 1. What does the term SET mean? My first bow(experiment)will be from hickory. Is there anything special I need to know about the drying process? Thanks, George
Set is how much the limbs deflect toward the archer and is measured from where they were before the tillering started. Lets say you started working on a stave with 3 inches of reflex (deflection away from the archer). You're done tillering and the bow has 1 inch reflex left. Your bow has taken 2 inches of set. Jawge
You will want your hickory very dry. Unlike most other woods hickory performs best at about 6% moisture content. Bows from other woods will blow up at that low percentage. They are best at 9% to 11% MC.
When I buy lumber for any project, I like to let it acclimatize to my area before putting a saw to it. I learned while making picture frames for my wife that if I go right to cutting when I get the wood it is usually unstable and will warp and twist. After a week or so it becomes more stable to work with.