few questions for board bow

[onidog]

So how would i check the #'s if i don't have a bow scale? and do I have to make a tillering tree to check on the bow or can i just floor tiller it? and if i didn't back it what would be the life of my bow? would the life increase if i put a finish on it? This is my first bow so i feel a little lost. and what would be a good length for a bow and what would be a good draw length? so far the board is 72" and is seems a little long but what do i know. lol
thanks a bunch!
-Cody

[Stefan]

Hi,

Floor tillering a bow is tricky you can't stand back and watch the bow, you could have someone make pictures while you are drawing the bow and check the photo's to see the weak and stiff spots. I do recommend building a tillering tree!!

You can get a idea of the drawweight with a bathroom scales and a tillering stick --> see this thread and photo's --> http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?topic=10852.0

A finish will protect your bow from moisture and will propably expands it's lifetime. A finish also protect the bow from greasy finger staining (especially whitewoods) the bow.

There is no reason why an unbacked bow (if it has good grain, and no runoffs) should have a lower life expectancy than a backed bow.

It's good to keep the bow long for now, if your happy with the tiller you could make the bow shorter.

Stefan

[DarkSoul]

Bow building is so easy, even a caveman can do it. Cavemen didn't have scales, polyurethane or tillering trees. Those are just designed to make our work easier.

Checking poundage can be done with a bucket filled with water, a bathroom scale, or a scale bought online for as little as $10.
You need to see the bend in a bow as it is being bent. Floor tiller will get you a long way. The last bit of tillering can be done with a tillering stick, or with the use of the reflection from a mirror/big window.
Finishing the bow does not necessarily increase lifespan. It does help is keeping moisture and dirt out. Finish the bow with any type of oil, varnish or even grease.
Drawlength depends on the archer, not the bow. The bow determines the maximum drawlength you can safely get from a bow. You can design a bow so it is optimal for the archer's drawlength.