yew longbow--need tiller help, this one's crazy: FULL DRAW ADDED

[bcbull]

radius  first i gotta ask you  in ur very last pic  do you  have that sucker strung ??  books like it is haha and it s ass backwards if it  is haha  never seen one with the sap on the belly  ok kiddin i think u got the string sittin just for   for us  to see am i right or wrong ?  if it was me  i wouldnt take another shave off till i stemed it and strightend  it  out  maybe clamp it to a board while it rehydrates   hope that d take some twist out  otherwise i dunno this one  ass bacwards haha but looks good  brock

[Lukasz Nawalny]

last time I have made elm longbow from similar stave and I a little reduce reflex in handle area by hot steam. It is always shame for me reduce reflex but if wood is not perfect ( knots etc) it is reasonably. You can also make deflex in handle and make deflex reflex style longbow . You can ofcourse just try make bow from this stave and if will be success we will see great bow , good luck 

[Del the cat]

It needs rubbing with some of my patent 'String follow' oil  .
I have 'anti-slice' pills for golfers too.
But seriously... just keep teasing that sucker back, hopefully it'll realise what it's supposed to do eventually.
If twisting is the prob, then working it at partial draw on the tiller can help.
Jeez...why am I offering you advice?...you prob have more bows under your belt than me.
Forgive any advice which sounds patronising/stupid etc.

Errr. btw, can I retract my offer of a stave swap .
Oddly my stave has a fair bit of deflex...so on average the 2 of 'em are perfect
Del

[coyote pup]

Radius,

This has happened to me a bunch of times with highly reflexed bows. You need to twist up your string a little bit so the bow's resilience doesn't stretch it out and flip backwards like that. This could be a good bow, and not necessarily for a kid either. I like bows like this, you just have to teach them to bend and get that string tighter.

[radius]

Radius,

This has happened to me a bunch of times with highly reflexed bows. You need to twist up your string a little bit so the bow's resilience doesn't stretch it out and flip backwards like that. This could be a good bow, and not necessarily for a kid either. I like bows like this, you just have to teach them to bend and get that string tighter.

My friend, are you saying that a shorter string would do the trick?  Right now it's so short that the brace height is almost perfect, and the arc is good, it's just backwards.  I don't mind turning this into a kid's bow:  as i said, it's worth 6 hours of tattoo to me.  It seems like if i shorten the string more, and manage to brace it so that it looks like it's supposed to, the brace height will be 9 or 10 inches! 

On the other hand, maybe if i get to that high brace height (facing the right way) it will come around, and then i can lower it as the stave becomes a bow?

This wood is awesome and i'd hate to lose it...thanks for the advice you guys.

Hey Del!  You sure you don't wanna trade?

[Dano]

"On the other hand, maybe if i get to that high brace height (facing the right way) it will come around, and then i can lower it as the stave becomes a bow?"

Duh!! That's what I was saying.

[radius]

"On the other hand, maybe if i get to that high brace height (facing the right way) it will come around, and then i can lower it as the stave becomes a bow?"

Duh!! That's what I was saying.

haha

Dano, do we know each other?  I am not used to taking a bow to extreme brace height, though, that's all.  Why did you say you think i need the obvious pointed out?  I must seem like a dumb ass to you...hm, maybe you've been talking to my landlord?

[rossfactor]

If it was me, I'd just start tillering as is.  Doesn't look like there's any major whoopdydoo's besides a lot of reflex, and just getting it to brace height will probably take care of a pile of reflex.  If it was me.

Gabe

[radius]

If it was me, I'd just start tillering as is.  Doesn't look like there's any major whoopdydoo's besides a lot of reflex, and just getting it to brace height will probably take care of a pile of reflex.  If it was me.

Gabe

I guess i might as well.  What's the worst that could happen?  You're right, no real whoopdedoos, a few knots which i'm used to by now...i really thought this one would fkn rock!!!!   Didn't expect it to bend backwards like that!  Maybe next time, concentrate more on the tips first, rather than tapering the whole limb?  I've got a few good pieces of yew left and this one was "supposed" to be a treat for me, an easy one.  God.

[coyote pup]

Radius,

Not really. The brace height will ultimately be as you want it, no where near 9 inches. Basically, the bow is so resilient that it is resisting its brace height down to 0 and re-assuming it's unstrug profile. When you put on the string at what appears to be the desired brace height like you said, it is strong enough to stretch the string just enough that it is able to invert and flip itself backwards. If you twist the string, it will make the string a little shorter (and stronger), but when it is finally braced and doesn't flip, it will stretch out a tad bit and the brace height will be where you want it. Does that make any sense? It's hard to explain without doing it in person. Basically, twist the string a couple rounds, maybe 3 or 4, and string the bow - the brace height at first will appear way high, but you will be able to string the bow. The limbs will learn to bend in this process and the string will stretch back down to where the brace height is where you want it. If it doesn't, and it's still too high, leave it strung for a couple minutes (assuming the tiller still looks good), tug on the string an inch or two, then unstring, and take a twist or two back off. 

[Dano]

Scott, I don't think your a dumb ass.

[radius]

Radius,

Not really. The brace height will ultimately be as you want it, no where near 9 inches. Basically, the bow is so resilient that it is resisting its brace height down to 0 and re-assuming it's unstrug profile. When you put on the string at what appears to be the desired brace height like you said, it is strong enough to stretch the string just enough that it is able to invert and flip itself backwards. If you twist the string, it will make the string a little shorter (and stronger), but when it is finally braced and doesn't flip, it will stretch out a tad bit and the brace height will be where you want it. Does that make any sense? It's hard to explain without doing it in person. Basically, twist the string a couple rounds, maybe 3 or 4, and string the bow - the brace height at first will appear way high, but you will be able to string the bow. The limbs will learn to bend in this process and the string will stretch back down to where the brace height is where you want it. If it doesn't, and it's still too high, leave it strung for a couple minutes (assuming the tiller still looks good), tug on the string an inch or two, then unstring, and take a twist or two back off. 

hmm... pretty sure i did that already, but i guess i can do it again!

[coyote pup]

My advice would be to give it a few more twists, but if it doesn't work, or if you feel like you've already twisted it enough, then I would say 2 things: 1. The string won't be quite strong enough for this bow at its current strength, and could stand to be a couple strands stronger   and/or 2. Do like previously said and steam it to take a little relfex out of it.  Neither option is bad.
The advice I'm giving you is based on my experiences with black locust, osage, and hickory. So I ain't pretending to know anything about yew because I don't. But it is what has always worked for me on my Indiana woods.

Let me also say I admire your work and your enthusiasm to jump right in and knock 'em out. I WISH I could get ahold of yew wood here. I know a while back a guy made a kids bow out of shrub yew or something, so I got my eye out for one of them.

[radius]

CP...thanks for your encouragement and support.   Once i get back home i'll try this sucker out again. 

[radius]

okay, CP...i went home and shortened that string and something weird happened.  It still bent backwards, but not as far!  I guess that's progress?

think about it:

with a short string, the brace height was lower!