First bow build help, done??

[frankg]

This is the osage fence post bow Ive been working on and the first Ive ever attempted . I think I am close with the tiller and have a short string on it , a few inches shorter than NtN. At 21" on the stick is what I have now and feels like still around 80 # !!
With the short string on it I put it on my Hanson 50# scale and it bottemed it out at 16" !!

Can you tell from the poor pic how tiller is ?
Left limb is what I figure will be top.
 
So , my question is do I at this point keep filing ,scraping , checking limbs with gizmo for high/low spots and weight creeping up on  draw and weight trying to hit them at same time ?



Left with a little hollow from bark around mid limb in back. The checks I filled over several days with Gorilla Super Glue.


Right with a small hole that was full of bark.

[BowJunkie]

this wonderful lil trick in windows paint program helps out a lot.

[frankg]

Pretty cool ! So it needs a little clean up at the fade on rt side to blend it into the bend  and around 5" down from rt tip it looks like .

[frankg]

I went and scraped a bunch more on it , about 200 strokes per side and added around 100 more to the strong side. Heres a pic of 27" on stick. I rounded up my 100# Hanson scale and I have 75# at 22"  !! I got more scraping to do .......a bunch !

Comments please .

27" on tiller stick , glad osage is tough !

[Stingray45]

Just my suggestions. I put the oval on to show the bend and the area's I have highlighted in green are the areas I would scrape from and the areas I have in red I wouldn't touch. I'd scrape the green areas until the bow starts to follow that arc, then once you get the limbs along that arc start doing full strokes on both limbs until you hit you're desired draw weight. Nice tool from bowjunkie. After having him do that to a few bows (one pretty recently) that's how I check tiller if I'm unsure looking at it outside. Just snap a picture, go inside and see how it lines up where shadows can't play tricks on your eye.

~Barry

[Stingray45]

Actually I just noticed it, you have a pretty nice arc drawn on the wall there right behind the tillering stick. Maybe try lowering the tillering stick a little so the bow limbs can be right in line with that arch and you can tell right at the stick where you need to remove wood and where you need to leave it.

[MWirwicki]

Beware of exceeding your targeted draw weight on the tillering tree.  When you exceed your draw weight in these early stages, you increase your likelihood of string follow.  Essentially, you are stressing the limbs more than they ever will be stressed during its life as a bow.  Your tiller looks pretty good.  At this point you should remove wood evenly throughout the length of the limbs to reduce draw weight.  Leave the bow a little stiff at the handle area.

[blackhawk]

What's your target weight. I hope its not less than 75lbs? Otherwise like matt said you are overstressing your bow. I also don't let it sit that long in a tiller tree past 18" or so. Use a pulley on a rope,video camera,photos,or a mirror to check that far out. Leaving it pulled that long n far will overstress your limbs as well. Past 18" I draw the bow in my hand and check tiller by pictures,video,or a mirror if im home alone. A lot of times you'll see a difference in tiller from the tree to the hand. Anywho....just some helpful tidbits. 

[BowJunkie]

I have to give credit to El Destructo. I posted a Hackberry I was working on and he posted the pic back with the oval.
So that prompted me to figure out the paint program and utilize to my advantage.
Just keep in mind when snapping a picture of your bow, try to have the bow level, and the camera level with the bow.
When drawing the oval I line the cursor up in the top left corner of the picture,  even with the belly at the handle area,
and even with the string nock. Then left click and drag to fit.
Anywhere the oval touches the limb other than the handle area needs scrapping,
if the oval does not touch the limbs DO NOT SCRAPE.
Also never take off 100-200 scrapes at a time if you are that close to matching the oval.
Try 10-30 scrapes,
I would also mark the side of the limbs prior to taking the picture for reference points.

[Del the cat]

Stop working on the right limb...The left is too strong and is overpowering the right!
That red area on the right limb is in danger of hingeing...that was visible in the first pics you posted!
It's easy to work on the wrong limb, the bow acts like a see saw (teeter totter to you guys?) and the strong limb pulls down.
Ease off evenly along that left limb and it will take some of the strain off the right.
Also pull it by hand and look. It's easy to pull it on the tiller supported at the wrong point (eg not where your hand will take the load) and also to pull on wrong point on the string.
Lookin' pretty good, but take care, it's easy to blow it up right at the end!
Del

[frankg]

Thanks for all the help fellas!!

Ive been trying to even things up and adjust wt versus draw and am at 22" and 55# so far ! I would like to get 45-50# at 28" . With my old Golden Eagle or ArrowStar I shot full length XX75 . I will have to change how I shoot but Ill work it out .         After all morning and into afternoon ! Whew this stuff is tuff wood ! But I like the way it slicks right up with scraper !
When I have it on stick I center grip in stick , then measure from nock to board at notch to be even pull on both limbs.
I looked for the paint thing and this putor evidently doesnt have it .

I think I have it coming even now, heres a pic at 14" on stick .
 


 

[Diligence]

I'm far from an expert, but I thought I would drop on my version of an ellipse.

Note that in the photo, the bow does not appear level at the handle, which impacts the look.  You can see from my ellipse that passes through the nocks, that the bow limbs are not bending equally.

Just thought this might be helpful.

D

[frankg]

Thanks . Hopefully I have corrected that . I took quite a bit off the left limb and some in the flat spots of each limb then quite a bit off as evenly as possible from both limbs dropping wt and extending draw. My last pic is where it is now .

[Del the cat]

Lookin' sweet now .
Del

[crooketarrow]

   When ever you see the start of a hindge don't pull it to full draw untill it's taken care of. You'll get unwanted set. And once it's there it's there.

  As for number of scrapes I darken in the spot needed to scrape with a pencil and scrape off the pencil.  I've found that doing it like this you won't over scrape matter offact you'll uselly have to do this spot more than once to get desired affect.

  And DILIGENCE is right the bow is'nt level. This is a must when tillering. Use a small level if your stave allows it. After a while yuo'll be able to eye ball it.