Tillering help

[Rap.]

IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE THE RIGHT SIDE IS ABOUT RIGHT BUT THE LEFT A LITTLE STIFF YET.(MAYBE JUST A
TOUCH MORE ON THE OUTBOARD RIGHT SIDE.

I THINK YOU COULD NOW GO WITH A LOW BRACE. aRE YOU CHECKING THE WEIGHT AS YOU GO. IF SO DON'T EXCEED YOUR DESIRED FINISHED WEIGHT.

IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE GETTING THERE SO GO SLOWLY.

[Rap.]

IF YOU CAN USE A BATHROOM SCALE AND A STURDY STICK WITH A STRING GROVE TO CHECK THE WEIGHT. WEAR A FACE SHIELD IF YOU DO IT THAT WAY. FOLLOW THE PREVIOUS ADVICE YOU RECIEVED ABOUT IT BENDING EVENLY BEFORE YOU WEIGH IT. I WILL LEAVE. TOO MANY COOKS CAN SPOIL THE SOUP!

[UnderControl16]

One thing that you do need to do while you are tillering is you need to have a level on the top because otherwise that will throw off the tillering and how it looks.

[George Tsoukalas]

Take a look at the board bow buildalong. Keep in mind that is a bend in the handle bow. When I started out I just made it a point to look at as many full drawn bows as I could even if the were fg bows. I'd just step back and look at the full drawn profile. So i would look at the buildalongs on my site. Not because my bows are tillered so well but because they would give you an idea. Jawge

[TheBronzeAge]

Alright, I've looked at some of these sites you guys have recommended and I spent the afternoon in the garage.  Here's what I've got so far.
 
Now, I know one side is stiff, and I've marked it on the belly of the bow for tomorrow's sanding, but any comments on the even-ness of the bending?  I began to think I got the tips too bendy after all that stiffness, but once I flipped the bow on the tree and checked again I couldn't see it.  Incidentally, the bow is level (I checked), the board the tree is nailed to is not.

I got all excited that I might actually have a traditional bow before Thanksgiving, and since it was tillered to 10" draw I strung it.  The first time it sort of jumped, and I discovered I hadn't cut the nocks deep enough and the string wasn't hooking.  I deepened the nocks a bit and re-strung it.  Here it is:
 

That's a funny angle, so I created this composite picture from two shots from directly above.
   
When I set the bow on its back and checked the height of each limb end there was a 2" difference between the limbs (one was 8" and one was 6").  I marked that, unstrung it, and went inside because it's just broiling out there.

Here's the nocks, by the way.  How much deeper can I cut them?  The string still looks prone to slipping.
 
 

Also, I ended up stringing the bow by putting one end on my right shin, the handle behind my left leg, and pulling the other end around to hook the string.  I don't have a stringer, because the only decent archery shop in town has fallen victim to the recession, so I need to know how many years I'll be spending in purgatory for stringing my bow like that, and if I need to order a stringer and delay the project another week.

[UnderControl16]

i string my longbows with the step through method and i haven't had any issues yet i just make sure that i am bending both limbs very evenly while i am stringing it.

[John Scifres]

If it is too heavy to use the push-pull method of stringing it, then it is too heavy to string.  Right limb is way too stiff to string it yet anyway.  Get them evened out before stringing it again.  

You should cut your nocks at least as deep as the diameter of the srting.  You can go deeper but you might also check the angle.  It looks like you just went straight across.  45 degrees will work better.

[George Tsoukalas]

You also need to get more near handle wood moving now. I would not have strung it with the tiler this far off. it just takes more set that way. Jawge

[TheBronzeAge]

Thanks, Jawge.  I was thinking that but I had spent so much time thinking it was OK but having the tips too stiff I didn't really trust my judgment on that anymore.

[TheBronzeAge]

So I really intended to finish out this bow without further posts, and if it whacked me in the skull that would be a learning experience.  However, there's a clear problem on the short string (the blue tape is level):
 
That, in and of itself, isn't the problem.  The problem is that I keep scraping the stiff limb and nothing changes.  I mean nothing - I put the bow on its back on the same surface, aim each end towards the wall, and no matter how much I scrape both ends touch the same marks they touched before.

Is there something else going on (like, for instance, should I scrape only the outer third of the stiff limb) or do I just need to put more sweat into it?

[walkabout]

in that picture the limb on the right is stiffer, no doubt about that. id slowly scrape that, being sure to excercise the limbs afterward so you dont get a false brace/tiller. also check near the fades to see if theyre beginning to bend near them, not a few or six inches out from the fades, much of the time this is an area that can use some work. careful and slow is key though, you dont want a hinge at the fades.the limb on the left looks like it bends a good bit near the tip, so i wouldnt touch that area at all, and if you do scrape the other limb dont take very much off the last third as it looks like its getting thin. also right side looks like theres uneven thickness in the middle of the limb, may be an illusion to me but make certain theres on sudden changes in thickness. hope it works out and you end up with something youre happy with. even if its light, i built a bow for my sister at 33#@ 26" and even though its light it shoots very accurately, great for working on form.

[John Scifres]

Just keep scraping.  Don't lose your patience     Are you exercising it after scraping?

[TheBronzeAge]

Done!

It's got some problems, but I'll know what I'm doing with the next one better.

[twodogs]

This is a good looking Bow, I'm going to try one myself. the link  http://poorfolkbows.com/oak7.htm
also has awesome Information about building a bow, thanks for posting!

[walkabout]

looks pretty good, like that pattern.