Question about set

[tronman]

I have just finished a hickory bow and have a question about set. One limb took 3/4 of inch of set and the other limb took 1-3/8 of set. Is it usual for limbs to take different amount of set on the same bow. I know wood bows will take some set during the tillering process but am curious if the this unequal set is "bad" in the long run for this bow?  Sorry for the noob question still trying to get this bow making stuff figured out.

[artcher1]

That's very common in stave/board bows Tronman. Often you will find one end or the other of staves/boards with slightly different working properties. That's the very reason sister billets, with their more consistant or even limb properties, are more desirable than staves for bows. Knowing which end of the stave/board that has the stronger working properties will help eliminate uneven set. From my experience, "build your bow as it stands in the tree", works quite well.

Adding to that, greater hand pressure, above or below the center of the bow, will place greater strain on one limb or the other. Keeping even stress on each limb as you draw your bow is another tool which will help with even set. ART

[Justin Snyder]

How about some pictures.  I am just guessing, but from my experience uneven set is caused by me tillering the limbs wrong. It usually means you have a weak spot on one limb that is taking on a lot of set. At least that is what happens with mine. Justin

[adb]

Generally, uneven set = uneven tiller.

[M-P]

Hi All,  I agree with the majority.  Uneven set means the tiller is off.   By definition good tillering takes wood variations into account.  Variations in limb stress due to hand position or differing limb length will also be taken into account by the tillering.  In the latter case to true test of tiller will be in the full draw photo, as a tillering tree may not duplicate extreme had positions.   ie. Let us see a full draw picture.     Ron

[denny]

I don't understand how this wouldn,t show up in a tiller. When I have a hinge, usually it is pretty evedent, However moisture should be taken into account. I like 9 to 11;% anyway , I corrected this issue, after you recheck the till,by reverse the stringing alittle past center or just tie a gallon jug of water to the handle<,center lin>and drape the bow across two chairs near heat for about 24 hours and see if that don't help. some wood will suck the water out of the air even after it is dry. good luck Denny

[tronman]

Thanks for the help. Let me just clarify I finished a couple weeks ago and I was going cross eyed looking at the tiller. I thought the tiller looked ok at the time. But going back and revisiting this bow with fresh eyes I noticed the tiller was off.  I have been working on it and it looks better. I do not have a dig camera so I cannot post pics yet. I will borrow one and get some pics when I can.

I tried taking a pic with my cell phone hopefully it is adequate enough for you all to see and critique

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Justin Snyder]

The tiller doesn't look bad in that picture, but the size and shadow makes it really hard to say for sure.