BBI build along, my first backed bow

[Echatham]

im going to order a set of scrapers from 3 rivers on friday when i get my allowance again, along with two other colors of b50 so i can make a 3 ply flemish twist. when i get home today im going to take my tips overlays out of the heat and clean them up, prep my bow tips, and glue them on. and take pictures. tomorrow will do some rough shaping of the tips, and start tillering in earnest. may be ready for the short brace.

[Echatham]

got my tip overlays on the bow, drying in the bathroom. getting the bow tips flat enough to mate well with them was a little tougher than i thought it would be.

[D]

Everyting looks great so far.  Your doing a fine job.

[Echatham]

ok tips are on and roughed out.... got my scale... time to tiller!

[Echatham]

here it is pulled to 44# at 4" of string travel. i only meant to pull it to 40#, but when i swapped hands to take a picture it peaked at 44, i have since learned to make the scale tell me current weight and not peak weight.

[Echatham]

oh and the clothes line is gone       I made me a long endless loop for now. i may cut one loop off and super glue the end o the serving so it doesnt unravel, that way i can use one end for a timber hitch... err... bowyer's knot. how much string travel should i shoot for before going to a short brace. and how does it look for now? looks to me like its stiff between outer and middle third on the right.... which is where my boo is thickest.

[CardboardDuck]

I am just a newbie but I think your long string is a bit too long. I always make my long string just long enough to get it in the string grooves.

Great job so far! Gonna be a slick one when she's done  

[macbow]

Good time to practice with the scale but too early to really use it. The long string at this point is to just exercise the limbs till you can get a short string on.

Floor tillering, I'd take some more from 1/3 out from riser towards the tips till you see the The curved portion starting to straighten out. Not all the way but bending with the floor tiller.
Then it will be time for the short sting.

[Echatham]

cardboardduck thats something i haven't considered. does the string length make a difference in tillering? would anyone else like to chime in on this? Roy?

[CardboardDuck]

Yes. It changes the string angle, which changes how the limbs are stressed.

[Roy from Pa]

You don't want to do your tips like that. The way you are doing it will add weight to the tips and slow the bow down and add hand shock. Cut them back off, it can be done. An do them this way, Please:)

   

   

   

   

[Roy from Pa]

Yes extra an long tillering string lies. The very first time I put a string on a bow to tiller it, I already have my string grooves cut into the bow tips, and I string the bow and the string lays real tight up against the belly of the bow. I work the bow on the tree till the tips are bending to say about 6 inches and if the limbs are bending nice and even with a sweet arc, I shorten the string to get the bow to about a 3 inch brace height. Then I keep tillering the bow till the tips are bending to about 8 or 9 inches. If the limbs still have a nice even arc I will shorten the string and get the bow to a 6 inch brace height. After that I finish tillering out the bow. Like has been said above, the shorter string you put on the bow, the more it stresses the outer 1/3 of the limbs.

[Roy from Pa]

 

[Echatham]

Roy... you are raining on my parade! this is what i was planning on going for:


I know they look huge right now, but I was planning on reducing them way down. if you still think i should cut them off and re-do them i will. I trust your expertise.

[Echatham]

or would this be better?


I'd REALLY hate to cut them off....

[Roy from Pa]

It's your bow, Eric. But the tips are going to look weird, kinda like some Navy guy made it:) How about like the picture below? All that extra wood isn't going to do anything for the performance of the bow.

 

Do I have to come up there and smack ya, Son?  

[Roy from Pa]

Stop and think about this, Eric. What good is that white wood going to be above the tips? It's nothing but extra weight, extra height that is not needed. Don't mean to whizz on your parade, it's your bow and you can make it look however you want.

I'm sure all the other guys will come along and agree with me. But the bottom line is it's your bow. If you want it to look like a sissy pants Navy guy made it, then go for it:) LOL

[Echatham]

hahahaha, cmon take it easy on me! I'm a sensitive sailor!  

[Echatham]

alright i will cut them down like your yellow line, but i ain't cuttin em off to reglue em! the wife took her space heater back to work and im too cheap to buy one.... and it was alot of work getting them pieces to match up!

[Echatham]

will have a new pic in a while... after the kids bath.