The D tiller for saplings

[Dictionary]

I've been contemplating this for a while. The last 4 or 5 bows i've made have been from maple saplings and i have no tillering tree or stick where i am here for the summer. Therefore i have been tillering them by eye and feel. Had one break on me.

What i really want to know also is this. Does the d tiller force more set in to the bow since the inner limbs are working as well. A bow taking set in the outer limbs is less detrimental to cast but when it takes set in the inner limbs, the cast really does suffer. I've tried the D bow tiller using a tillering tree as well and always end up with high set in the inner limbs and the cast is very poor. The bows do not develop hinges either. What do others have to say about this? Maybe i'm just very poor at tillering a bendy handled bow.  Because others don't seem to have this problem


I think i will be making a number of handle bows from saplings to decide.

Pictures Added

[RobWiden]

    Not sure if I'm going to be any help here, but this is my 2 cents worth of experience. I've only made bendy handle bows with glued in reflex, so it's not the same as a stave (quite). I start off with about 1 1/16" reflex and end up almost perfectly straight. The set I do get is mostly in the midlimb area. I think this is because I leave the handle area a little bit stiffer than the rest. It does bend, but not quite as much.

[Pat B]

Theoretically a bendy handle bow should take less set because you are using more of the bow to deal with the stresses of being drawn and shot. This means less stress concentrating on each limb.

[Gordon]

Perhaps you are letting the handle area bend too much which is a common error that beginners make with this design.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Perhaps you are letting the handle area bend too much which is a common error that beginners make with this design.

Thats no bull....

[Dictionary]

Perhaps you are letting the handle area bend too much which is a common error that beginners make with this design.

I don't believe this is it either because at full draw i don't actually feel the handle give very much at all. There may be a very slight bend. Honestly my bendy handled bows don't bend hardly at all in the handle, mostly just work more in the inner limbs with stiffer outter limbs....if that makes sense. I dont know. Whatever i'm doing, it is flawed.

[Dictionary]

here is an example. pics are terrible but i think the tiller is decent but the set is disappointing to me.i tillered this bow today without a tree or stick. I decided it bent enough in the handle by pulling to full draw and determining if it bent enough there for my tastes. It doesnt appear to bend too much there to me....

[Stiks-N-Strings]

looks to me like your handle area is bending to much and the outer third not enough. That is why you are getting to much set and losing cast

[Pat B]

I agree with Stiks.  When I'm building a bendy handle bow I tiller into the handle last. I want to feel the handle give as I hit full draw. If you try to get the handle area to bend too early on in the process the leverage of the limbs put a lot of stress on the handle area.
  I think if you get the outter limb bending a little more it will relieve the stresses at the handle some.

[Gordon]

I agree with the others. Based on the pics I see too much bend in the handle area.

[Dictionary]

Pat, i as well tiller  into the handle last. But the problem normally is that i don't take off enough wood for the handle area to really bend at all. When you draw it to full draw do you actually feel your bow bending in the handle? Because i feel the one in the picture bending slightly in the handle.

[blackhawk]

I agree..too much bend in the handle and inner limbs. Try allowing for more stock in the handle to begin with before tillering,like an inch thick.

Also,are you 100% sure your wood is good and dry?

[DarkSoul]

"Feeling it bend in the handle" is a subjective term. What do we feel? How obvious is it? How and where do you grip? If you don't feel much bending in the handle, that doesn't mean it doesn't bend much. Your pictured bow bends only in the handle. Midlimbs but also the tips, bend far too little. The outer half of each limb is basically flat. Get those outer halves bending and it will reduce the stress on the inner limbs, with less set as a result.

Set could also be an indication you're working with wood that is still too high in moisture content.

[dmikeyj]

How does that bow pictured shoot?  Does it thump real hard?  It does (to me) look like the handle is bent in the braced pic.  That area should be stiff at brace, even if its a bendy handle bow.  If you feel the handle move, it should (my opinion) not happen until the last couple of inches to full draw.

How big are the saplings you have been using?  How long have they been left to dry?

  I think if you get the outter limb bending a little more it will relieve the stresses at the handle some.

I agree with Pat.