Need some cojones

[Don Case]

 If I'm tillering and everything seems to be going OK, I've got the bow on the tree and I'm pulling. I've got to this point and I'm afraid it's going to break if I bend it just a little more. How do I get past this? Will the stave tell me something?

[DuBois]

If everything looks right and there's no reason besides fear to not pull, then keep going. It will or it won't.

[TEE TAW]

If it feels tight and you at your weight scrape it some more

[Badger]

  It will tell you a lot of things. If you have a scale attached to it it will tell you how much force it takes to bend it. It will tell you if it is starting to take set. It will tell you if it is bending evenly. What else do you need to know?

[NeolithicMan]

I have a really thick skull so I dont get this issue 
Pull it until it works or blows up. i have a few upper limbs lodged somewhere up there on the ol' cranium, doesnt hurt much!

[Don Case]

  It will tell you a lot of things. If you have a scale attached to it it will tell you how much force it takes to bend it. It will tell you if it is starting to take set. It will tell you if it is bending evenly. What else do you need to know?

If it will bend any more?

[Don Case]

OK joking aside, I guess I need a better scale. I'm using a 50# fish scale that only has about 3" of travel. I calibrated it so it's pretty accurate but 1# is about 1/32" so it's hard to see. I bought a new pulley for the tree but I think the sheave is egg-shaped. Tomorrow I'll go to a marine store and get a ballbearing block. I'm not sure what to do about the scale, I'll check oround.
Thanks

[Gordon]

You just have to get past this. I've had bows come apart on the tree for no apparent reason. That's why I use a tree until I completely trust the bow so no one gets hurt. When they break (and if you build enough bows you will break some) you dust yourself off and get right back in the saddle.

[George Tsoukalas]

If it breaks start another. I don't have any cojones. I am of Greek ancestry. I have adhethia. Jawge

[Badger]

    Seriously, if you knew how much mass you needed for the design you are building you would aslo have a much better idea of what to safely expect from a bow in any particular design. It will also tell you if it is too wet or too dry. The more you know about your design, your wood and your ability the more confidence you will have while building a bow. If I have my doubts bout a bow I know exactly why I have my doubts cause I did my homework and I know what I can expect. I did it over a period of years though so don't be too hard on yourself.

[George Tsoukalas]

Don, are you using a tillering stick. If yes, then you do have adhethia. Read Gordon's post again. Jawge

[Badger]

  Don, you have the same questions that every newcomer has. If I were starting over today I would have kept records on my bows. Just going thrugh the motions of writing it down drills it into your head to some extent even if you never go back and look at your records.

Type of wood
Length, draw weight, style, width, mass weight,
Outcome- finished, amount of set, starting position of limb tips. Broken, what stage it broke, Your opinion of tiller when it broke. Anything else you might think of. You can cme here and talk about them and get solid answers and help. 

[burchett.donald]

  Don,
            Can you post some pics of your progress? Would love to see where your at with the tiller...

[Del the cat]

It can be nerve wracking... muttering 'Break... break...break' under your breath can help minimise the shock if it does go .
It's an odd thing some bows I feel I could just draw back for ever, some make me nervous as hell.
Just check there is no one creeping up behind you with a paper bag to burst
Del

[Centerless]

I broke one on the tree while teaching a class two years ago and I'm still nervous sometimes.  You have to know it will happen.  I ease into it now more than before.