Beginner - which tools will i need?

[Justin Snyder]

You cut the log then split it into fourths. 
If you look at this thread by Cowboy you will see the start of getting staves from logs. http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,3331.0.html

If you can get good trees starting with staves is a great way to start. It does take a long time for the wood to dry enough to use though. You can spit a couple down to three inches wide then use a draw knife or rasp to remove all the extra wood to make it dry faster. You will leave it just larger than the bow. Find out what kind of wood you can get, then we can give you more information.

[woodstick]

i use a draw knife for removing bark and chasing a ring also a scraper on ring. draw knife to cut in shape of my bow and take the bulk off the belly. then all i use is a good rasp and scraper to tiller, and lots of sandpaper. a mason jar works good to burnish the bow.

[Apprentice]

A question on tillering;
If tillering with a long string, how do you know the actual draw length? Or is that irrelevant until the bow is braced?

[El Destructo]

A question on tillering;
If tillering with a long string, how do you know the actual draw length? Or is that irrelevant until the bow is braced?

You nailed it....the Draw Length is not important yet......not pulling the Bow past desired Final Draw Weight...and not overworking areas of unbending wood is of the utmost importance while on the Long String...don't worry about Draw Length until you have the Bow at a Low Brace...

[woodstick]

like el d said dont go past your desired draw wight. i have had some bows that i worked a couple inches on my tiller tree in one day. shut it down till the next day go 2 or 3 more shut it down. dont push it. i know you wana sling wood but when you rush thats when it goes bad. i still gota alot to learn on tiller but go slow.

[Apprentice]

like el d said dont go past your desired draw wight. i have had some bows that i worked a couple inches on my tiller tree in one day. shut it down till the next day go 2 or 3 more shut it down. dont push it. i know you wana sling wood but when you rush thats when it goes bad. i still gota alot to learn on tiller but go slow.

Yeah not going past top draw weight is something I read all the time.

Besides human error, is there any harm to doing much work in a short period of time?

[El Destructo]

not that I have encountered...as long as you work the Wood every time you shave some off...to make sure that the wood has remembered that it is bending differently...otherwise you can end up Hinging one really fast....you have to work it between scrapings to work the Wood fibers...JMO

[zenmonkeyman]

Isn't "Don't Go Past Your Draw Weight" too simple a rule?  What if there's a hinge, and you keep pulling because "You Haven't Pulled Past Your Draw Weight"?  I'd like to suggest amending this rule to read

"Never Pull Past Your Draw Weight Or Through A Hinge." 

[Apprentice]

Isn't "Don't Go Past Your Draw Weight" too simple a rule?  What if there's a hinge, and you keep pulling because "You Haven't Pulled Past Your Draw Weight"?  I'd like to suggest amending this rule to read

"Never Pull Past Your Draw Weight Or Through A Hinge." 

Surley you've misread, your logic doesn't really make sense. Of course never through a hinge is also true so sure, why not.

[zenmonkeyman]

Well, I agree I'm probably coming off a bit anal at the least, but I just watched a 6-part series on Youtube in which a guy spent hours and hours steambending an R/D (or maybe a D/R, I don't know which is which), glueing up a nice riser, backing it with fiberglass, and doing lots of things right, until tillering started.  He pulled to his draw weight every time, and it was clear in part 5 he was throwing all his work out the window.  Part 6 started with him trying to autopsy his bow, I shut it off I couldn't watch.  I'm a nube, it could have happened to me (I've wrecked my bows for different reasons  ), so I'm just making a point for other nubes to maybe run across just in case.   

[Apprentice]

Hehe... link?

[zenmonkeyman]

Warning:  The following series of videos contain scenes which are guaranteed to be disturbing to all viewers who link to it from here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY7-Q4j1twY&feature=PlayList&p=DC942F8C763845F5&index=8

[Justin Snyder]

Isn't "Don't Go Past Your Draw Weight" too simple a rule?  What if there's a hinge, and you keep pulling because "You Haven't Pulled Past Your Draw Weight"?  I'd like to suggest amending this rule to read

"Never Pull Past Your Draw Weight Or Through A Hinge." 

Never pull past your draw weight. Doesn't say anywhere that you have to pull to your draw weight. If you want to amend the rule, why not add "don't create a hinge." 

[Apprentice]

Warning:  The following series of videos contain scenes which are guaranteed to be disturbing to all viewers who link to it from here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY7-Q4j1twY&feature=PlayList&p=DC942F8C763845F5&index=8

Ouch. I spotted some mistakes and even I haven't yet built a bow.

I think I'm gonna try and see if I can find a suitable board tomorrow, however I doubt I will find anything other than crappy pine...

[El Destructo]

Hom Depot....Lowes...and Mesnards all handle at least Red Oak...so you should be able to check with a Local Lumber yard and get you a good peice of Hardwood somewheres