How to Tiller a longbow

[Nicole]

Ok bear with me. I have only tillered a flatbow before. I want to make completely round longbow now. The kind that they have in Robin Hood movies and Lord of the rings. But i cant find any info anywhere. i,m very new to this so this is  probably a stupid question. With flat bows you only shave down the belly. But how would you tiller a bow that is round on BOTH sides. Can anyone help?

[Joec123able]

Your taking about an English long bow that has a D cross section and that type of bow has a rounded belly and a flattish back so it's not completely round

[Nicole]

actually no. Im talking about a bow that is completely round. The kind you see in movies.

[Joec123able]

So your not talking about an English long bow because that's the bow thts in the movies

[Nicole]

im not sure what its called. but i need some info on how to make one.

[Roy]

You take wood off the belly, and blend it over into the sides, keeping the roundness all the time.

[Nicole]

Do i take wood of the back?

[TacticalFate]

If you want a bow with a round cross section, you have to start out with a very small-diameter stave,(like an inch or so, maybe less) so the back will have a high crown (naturally rounded) and work the belly into a round cross- section from there. Robin Hood's bow, as well as any other English bow, was an English Longbow design, did not have a round cross section, but a D cross section, with the flat of the D being the back and the rounded side being the belly. It might seem from the movies that these bows had a completely round cross-section, but they did not.

[Joec123able]

If you want a bow with a round cross section, you have to start out with a small-diameter stave, so the back will have a high crown (naturally rounded) and work the belly into a round cross- section from there. Robin Hood's bow, as well as any other English bow, was an English Longbow design, did not have a round cross section, but a D cross section, with the flat of the D being the back and the rounded side being the belly. It might seem from the movies that these bows had a completely round cross-section, but they did not.

Exactly !!!!!

[Zion]

When you work the wood just have in mind that the cross section will be a D, i assume your talking about the hardcore english bows, right? I have no experience with these bows but they are one of the most simplest designs.

If you want a bow that is round on BOTH sides, just chop down a sapling and the back will be crowned because it is young. Then make the belly round and you'll be good to go. Druid is a stud with sapling warbows, check out some of his work.

Sometimes these bows look like they're round because they are built narrow and long.

[Roy]

Never take wood off the back.

[Nicole]

Great. Thanks for all the advice.

[mikekeswick]

I would advise you get the Bowyers Bible set of books. The first one will do for now.

[DarkSoul]

Movie bows are round because they are movie props - not actually functional bows. They're not made of wood (but plastics or rubber) and are not a good design to make. An English longbow gets you closest, as it is oval in cross section. Still round overall, but not to a circle. Making a movie bow from wood is very tempting, but not a good choice for a beginner.

And no, you never take wood off the back of a bow during tillering!

[Del the cat]

Forget the movies.
Movie bows don't have to shoot.
An English Longbow (Robing hood style) is alomost circular in section but the back is slightly flatter.
The tillering is done from the belly, although sometimes wood needs removing from the back early on to reduce the thickness of the sapwood if you are using Yew.
If you have a completely circular section then the bow has no back or belly and will try to bend sideways or in any old direction.
If you really want to make a longbow google 'bowyers diary' and trawl though that. There is every thing in there from cutting a branch to finishing the bow, with some that explode in the process.
Del