Uneven Bow Limbs

[rm85]

I have a long bow and one limb is bent more the the other.

How would I fix that?

The bow does not have any backing on it. its a solid piece of wood.

would I sand the least bent limb down.

[Bob Barnes]

the bottom limb is better to bend a little less than the top limb...I like about 1/8" more bend in the top limb myself... if you decide to sand the stiff limb only sand it a little at a time and only sand the belly side.  Pull the bow several times after sanding each time.
Bob

[rm85]

would I sand the entire limb or just the first few inch's

[Pat B]

Can you post pics?  That will help us understand the problem.

[rm85]

IMG]http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee245/mmtecg/e-bayphotos018.jpg[/IMG]

[Bob Barnes]

first thing is that the string looks too short...I would think maybe 6 1/2" from the bow to the string would be a maximum...next I would start scraping the inner third of the stiff limb...it doesn't look like it will take much...the other limb seems to bend mostly about mid limb...

[Eric Krewson]

You have a hinge in the right hand limb that you need to correct. A tillering gizmo will tell you where to remove wood.

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001047

After you get the hinge corrected you can shorten the limb an inch or so and stiffen it somewhat. Lots of correcting to do on that hinge and you might not have enough wood left to work with.

A longer string will be a must as well.

[rm85]

Would It hurt i I left the bow the way it is.


And what limb do i sand.

[Eric Krewson]

Won't hurt a thing to leave it like it is. It may fail in the hinge, it may end up with a bunch of string follow, it may be difficult to shoot with the limbs so out of time but it will still shoot an arrow from point A to point B.

Fixing it would teach you a lot about what you are looking for in your  next bow.

[John Scifres]

Use a knife and hold it at a 90 degree angle to use as a scraper.  Scrape at the green areas, maybe 10 scrapes at a time.  Draw it back 30 times to exercise it.  Then look to see if it bends a little more evenly.  A full draw pic would be helpful.

[White Oak]

Guys, I don't want to get in the way of this post.Just wanted to thank Mr. Krewson for reminding us of his "Tillering Gizmo". Some of this missed this. I will certainly have one in my shop. The knowledge on this site and the willingness to share it always amazes me.
Thanks,
Ed