Final Pics!!!!!!

[CherokeeKC]

I am finally getting around to finishing my first bow that has been in the process of being built for a year and half now.  This was due to graduating college, getting a job, and buying a "fixer upper" house.  Anyway I built a tillering tree a couple days ago and got the bow on long string today.  I made a flemish twist tiller string and use bowyers knot on other end.  I can not for the life of me get this thing on short string and the bow is ready.  I have always used a bowstring with two loops.  Trying to bend the bow and maneuver the bowyers knot onto the knock end to brace is not working.  How in the world do you guys brace your bows using a bowyers knot on one end?  Everytime I would barely have enough strength to slip the bowstring over nock once I let off it would be tight but 0" brace.  The hickory flatbow has 2-2.5' of reflex so that might be one thing making it harder.  Also there is a pic below of a spot on side of the bow where the grain ran in and pulled out sometime during the process.  How would you all handle this spot?

[wood_bandit99]

The place where the grain split out wont hurt a thing.just sand it. As for the bracing get a stringer and it helps. If it is too many lbs than take it down until it is the weight u want wen it is finished. I dont ever take it an inch past the final weight I want

[Ink]

Ran into the same problem myself on my first reflexed bow. Turns out the string was too long so I twisted it to try and compensate. However it just caused the string to stretch. May need to make a shorter string or one with more strands to avoid the stretching. Or tiller it on the long string a little more to reduce the initial brace height weight.

[sonny]

I treat it like a string with two loops when I use a bowyer's knot, whenever possible..which it is with that bow.

I tighten the knot down in that nock leaving the bowstring short enough that I can then push-pull
the upper loop into the upper nock. It may require some trial and error to get the length just right but
should only take a matter of minutes/ a couple of tries.

 
   

[George Tsoukalas]

Slip the top loop over the upper limb, tie the string onto lower nock and string it. Jawge

[SLIMBOB]

Tie the knot on the bottom limb string nock.  The string being 3-4 inches short of the nock on the top limb should give you full brace, so make it short of that to start, say 2-2 1/2".  I don't use a stringer as a rule and many of my strings have a bowyers knot in one end.  Step-thru and slide the string loop up the limb as you bend the bow.  I know this is heresy to many, but it's all I've ever done and I have never broken one stringing it, just use some common sense and be careful.  Should get you to low brace.  Adjust the string length (shorten it up) as you get the bow closer to desired final brace height.  Work at low brace and get the tiller right before you shorten it up.

[dwardo]

Are you sure its ready for a brace? I find that I can step through string a much heavier bow that I can push-pull.
I use this as a guide to how heavy the bow is and weather or not its ready for the string.
Also I have found that the more twists there are in a string the more it will stretch.

Floor tiller/bend the bow with a loose string and see if its moving far enough without busting a blood vessel. The bow under a massive amount of force at this stage so if you push it too much you will get a bunch of set.

[CherokeeKC]

Thanks for  the replies everyone.  The bow is bending well on long string and pulling 40-50 lbs.  I will try the push/pull method this afternoon.  I think my technique was wrong with the step through method.  It was hot and i was getting aggravated so i quit for the day before i damaged the bow

[CherokeeKC]

Hickory "Lenape" style flatbow, 69.5" tip to tip, 47# at 28".  I was shooting for 50# at 28" so not too bad for first bow I guess.  I also left it long so if I missed my poundage during tillering I would have the option of shortening it to get some pounds back.  Let me know what you guys think of the tiller.  First pic is it braced at 5" sitting on tillering tree. 



Full draw pics.  I took a couple so maybe one background is better than other for judging tiller.





The bow has a little curve to it, which made me put the limb with the knots on it down, so it would put the string closer to the side of bow I shoot from.



And here is one at 28" draw on the tiller tree.

[CherokeeKC]

I know the tiller isnt perfect by far.  I believe I have it bending a tad too much in the handle.  And the top/right limb (above) bends a tad more than the left.

[SLIMBOB]

I agree with your assessment on the tiller. The fact that you recognize it puts you ahead of the game on the next one. Very nice first bow!  I like it a lot.

[Newindian]

To me it looks like a hinge right out of the handle on the left and another slight hinge mid limb and then stiff the outer half, the right limb is bending to much in the inner third with the outer two bending very little . I think it would be best to go through and correct the tiller. Congratulations on your first

[CherokeeKC]

I dont think there are any hinges so maybe its the pic.  I know the brown unpainted spots on wall arent the best background.

[PEARL DRUMS]

The wall pic doesn't do much. Its the hand drawn pic that matters. Your handle is working a TAD too hard and the mid limbs could bend much more. Id cut 3" off it and retiller it a bit. That will be enough to get it straightened out and still keep weight.

[Del the cat]

Working too hard in the middle, not enough in the outer 1/2 of each limb. left is  a bit stiffer than the right.
Couple of pointers.
1. Make sure the bow is free to rock on the tiller, so don't have the top of the tree wide and square, round it off a tad.
2. Make sure you support the bow where you hand will support it , and draw it from where your fingers will pull it.
It jus tneeds easing off a tad on the outer limbs to get a smoothe rcurve. Try the hold ing CD or coffee mug up in front of the pic and you'll see where its bending most.
mind it all depends what shape you want it to be.
When I look back at some of mine I think ... hmmmm bit stiff at the tips or too much bend mid limb.
I think we maybe get a bit obsessive about it all, but it needs that perfectionist streak to get your eye attuned to the subtleties.
Remember tillering is about stopping the problems occurring almost before you can see 'em. Once they are really obvious, it's often too late to fix it without dropping a fair bit of draw weight.
Del