Yew Longbow tiller

[bigcountry]

Ok, I have a pacific yew stave that is almost a bow.  I am trying to duplicate the design in Trad bible volumn 1.  Its 70" long and like in the book, I have made the top limb 1" longer than the bottom.   Its a D-cross section.

When I put this bow on my tiller stick, should I center the bow in the tiller stick by the center of the handle?  Or center the entire bow at 35"? 

They say in the TBB vol1 that top limb should tiller 1/4" longer. But I shoot 3 under.  So figured I would have the limbs equal tiller distance 1/4 from the tips to the string.

I have it tillered pretty nice at 20".  And she is 55lbs at 22". 

Figured before I go further, I might want to rethink this.

[sailordad]

pics pics pics

we need pics

[bigcountry]

pics pics pics

we need pics

You need pics to know weather to put the bow in the tiller stick in the middle of the handle or not?

[George Tsoukalas]

I  put the bow in the middle of the cradle and then tiller the bottom limb about 1/2 in. stiffer at full draw. In other words I tiller from the middle of the handle. I check tiller in a mirror and electronically looking for the bottom limb to be 1/4" stiffer at  full draw. Some say it is better to tiller as close to the actual point of draw as possible but the way I learned is  the way I do it as I've described. Jawge

[bigcountry]

Thanks guys, I am glad I came and asked.  Because that little 1" changed made a big differnece.  But I am not too far to make the fix.

I will post some pics later of the tiller and ask advise.

[Little John]

George, I guess that is what is meant by positive tiller. So if you measured from the back of the bow to the string you would get a longer measurment on the  top limb? I guess this applies only to asymetrical bows with a longer top limb?  Kenneth

[Pat B]

Kenneth, I believe positive tiller applies to both symmetrical and asymmetrical tiller because in both cases the bottom limb is stressed more than the top so making the bottom limb a bit stronger somewhat equalizes the stresses.   

[Little John]

Thanks Pat. 

[George Tsoukalas]

Yes, what Pat said. Unless I'm making a board bow I don't measure at brace height. What I care about is how the tiller looks at full draw which I  like to be about 1/4 inch stiffer on the lower limb. Jawge

[sailordad]

big country

in your first post you said that it was 55lbs at 22",there fore i figured you had been tillering it already,therfore pics of the bow would be nice.
thats all cause we all like our pics of bows,being built and finished products.
i always put the center of the handle on the stick and tiller the lower limb a little stiffer as george had also mentioned.

there fore             PICS PICS PICS    WE NEED PICS       

[bigcountry]

Well, the girl is dead.  Today I had tiller perfect.  I mean it was beautiful.  I had her at 24", and 55lbs.   

I don't know what I was thinking.  But after I took her off the tiller tree, she had some follow as normal, and I pushed backwards on her.  Like that, it was over.  I wasn't pushing hard, but hard enough. 

It was shaping up to be the best tiller I ever had on a bow.  I just feel like an idiot.  So close.

Oh well, where's that other stave at.  Got to get the draw knife a drawin, and scrapers a scrapin.

big country

in your first post you said that it was 55lbs at 22",there fore i figured you had been tillering it already,therfore pics of the bow would be nice.
thats all cause we all like our pics of bows,being built and finished products.
i always put the center of the handle on the stick and tiller the lower limb a little stiffer as george had also mentioned.

there fore             PICS PICS PICS    WE NEED PICS       

[sailordad]

oh well thats too bad

but like they say    if ya aint breakin them,ya aint makin them

good attiutde

[Pat B]

That's a shame...but it happens. Next time don't try to straighten out the set by hand. Bows bent backwards usually break.
   Glad you have a good attitude about it. It happens to the best of us...and we all feel stupid when we do things we know we ain't spoda do.
   Study the break! you can learn a lot from it.          Pat

[bigcountry]

That's a shame...but it happens. Next time don't try to straighten out the set by hand. Bows bent backwards usually break.
   Glad you have a good attitude about it. It happens to the best of us...and we all feel stupid when we do things we know we ain't spoda do.
   Study the break! you can learn a lot from it.          Pat

If it was the back breaking I can understand.  But this is from plain stupidness.   Got tons on my mind and wasn't thinking.  I was in cruise control.  Wife got out of surgery on Friday from getting tumors out of her uterios, and I have been taking care of our 9month old by my self.  While he is napping I have been working on the bow. 

Thanks guys.  Special thanks to you in particular Pat.  You have gave me alot of advise on this yew bow.  Ever since I saw yours, I was wanting to make one.

[ravenbeak]

in similar situations i find my self repeating.


you learn alot more from the ones you break than the ones you make