first bow tiller check

[George Tsoukalas]

That left limb looks perfect. Get the right to match as PD and others said. Good eye, Dane.
Matt, mark a big x where that hinge is. Remove wood from below with a scraper and from above if possible. Exercise the wood. Check tiller at a low draw  (15 in or less) until gone. My site has buildalongs.
One more thing...after I brace I use only a scraper-like tool. It's repetitive and takes a long time but hey...this is my hobby and it's fun!

Jawge

[iowabow]

Iowabow, just saw your post, what do you mean with front profile?

take a picture as if you were standing in front of the bow if someone was shootin it. Without is being strung.

[matthijsc]

Thx Iowabow. Will post pictures of the finished bow tomorrow or the day after.

[SLIMBOB]

Jawge's advice is spot on!

[Josh B]

The reason iowabow is asking for a frontal pic is to determine the front profile.  It is important to know this before offering tiller advice because different profiles have different tillers.  For example if this is a pyramid, the bend will be pretty circular through out the entire limb with only a short section of the tip being stiff.  A flatbow (parallel inner limbs)  will do more work on the inner half of the limbs and gradually reduce in bend towards the tips.  A mollegabet will do all its bending(working) in the inner half of the limbs with stiff narrow levers for outer limbs.  All different tillers to get the most from your design.  Until we know the design, any advice is best guess.  Your right limb looks close to mollegabet tiller, and the left looks like a good start on a pyramid tiller.  Either one could be the proper tiller, but without all the details I don't know which is correct for your bow. 
   Also, as slim said, don't pull it past the point where a problem shows itself.  That's very good advice.    Josh

[iowabow]

The reason iowabow is asking for a frontal pic is to determine the front profile.  It is important to know this before offering tiller advice because different profiles have different tillers.  For example if this is a pyramid, the bend will be pretty circular through out the entire limb with only a short section of the tip being stiff.  A flatbow (parallel inner limbs)  will do more work on the inner half of the limbs and gradually reduce in bend towards the tips.  A mollegabet will do all its bending(working) in the inner half of the limbs with stiff narrow levers for outer limbs.  All different tillers to get the most from your design.  Until we know the design, any advice is best guess.  Your right limb looks close to mollegabet tiller, and the left looks like a good start on a pyramid tiller.  Either one could be the proper tiller, but without all the details I don't know which is correct for your bow. 
   Also, as slim said, don't pull it past the point where a problem shows itself.  That's very good advice.    Josh

Yep ....

[Josh B]

I should also point out that it's important that you post a pic of the unbraced side profile of the stave that was taken before you started tillering and caused some set.  This is important to show any character, reflex or other issues that would need to be considered in the tiller.  If its a straight board , a pic is not necessary.  Simply mention it in the description of your bow in the first post.  If you've heat bent any thing into the board, then a pic is necessary.  With staves, a pic of the profile is always good.  The more pics and info you provide, the better advice you'll get.  Just so there is no misunderstandings, I'm not insinuating that all the other advice you got on this thread is wrong.  Only that there was assumption and oversight at play.  I've made the same mistake more than once.  Josh

[iowabow]

I should also point out that it's important that you post a pic of the unbraced side profile of the stave that was taken before you started tillering and caused some set.  This is important to show any character, reflex or other issues that would need to be considered in the tiller.  If its a straight board , a pic is not necessary.  Simply mention it in the description of your bow in the first post.  If you've heat bent any thing into the board, then a pic is necessary.  With staves, a pic of the profile is always good.  The more pics and info you provide, the better advice you'll get.  Just so there is no misunderstandings, I'm not insinuating that all the other advice you got on this thread is wrong.  Only that there was assumption and oversight at play.  I've made the same mistake more than once.  Josh

This is real good info for new bow builders, they will be the future educators on this forum.  "Best Practice" learned early will really benefit new bowyers and make good mentors for the future

[iowabow]

Josh I cant begin to tell you how much I learned from you walking me through a build. I pass that knowledge on now every week.

[iowabow]

I agree that the advice has been good but more info could be very helpful.

[SLIMBOB]

I would agree with all of that. Well said Josh.

[George Tsoukalas]

I agree about needing to know the type of bow. Good advice by Iowabow.
Just keep in mind that good tiller at  full draw should eventually be the goal.
I've made bows were brace  looked off but tiller was good.
Also remember that the draw in the hand is what counts too.
Check to see about even pressure as you draw.
LOL.
Fix the hinge first.
Jawge

[matthijsc]

Thank you for all the time taken to post your knowledge, tips and tricks. I haven't looked back at this thread until after I started finishing it (as of this moment the bow is sanded and drying from "oil treatment"). I will definitely use this information in my next build and my next thread/cry for help! Again thank you all so much. I will post pictures tomorrow, when I get the handle on there. Tiller will probably be far from perfect, but hey its my first bow and will definitely make loads more of them!!! I am hooked:P



Matthijs

[DarkSoul]

Hi Matthijs,
Nice to see another fellow Dutchman! Dutch bowyers are few and far between so it's good to see more people get excited about this hobby. If you want to meet any local bowyers, please let me know. Perhaps we can hook up to scrape some wood together. I'm from Wageningen.
Your bow looks pretty good, especially considering it is your first! All advice given earlier is very useful so I don't need to repeat any of that. What I will add, is that heat treating the belly of the bow is not something I would recommend for your first or second bow. While maple is a good candidate for belly tempering, it is not a miracle cure that adds ten pounds of draw weight or removes all your set. Only a well made bow will benefit from belly tempering. Belly tempering is another factor in bowyering that you could potentially screw up. Keep it simple for your first few bows.
Question, did you determine the draw weight at this point? It's not uncommon for a novice bowyer that his first few bows will come in underweight, so don't let that discourage you.

Looking forward to the pics of the finished bow!

[DarkSoul]

I will post pictures tomorrow, when I get the handle on there. Tiller will probably be far from perfect, but hey its my first bow and will definitely make loads more of them!!! I am hooked:P

Any chance of making some pictures?
I'm looking forward to pics of the finished bow!