measuring set

[bushboy]

It's pretty easy to record set on a board bow but wonky staves not so much.on a lever bow is the set gauged at the tips or upper lever fades?thx's

[SLIMBOB]

I've had this debate before regarding mollies.  I cant see how you could measure set anywhere but from the tips.  Tip travel is what tip travel is.  On a bow with 6 inches of static tips, you don't measure set from 6 inches in???  Set is to me anyway, the amount of reflex lost or string follow gained, measuring from the tips.

[JW_Halverson]

I used to do that by laying the roughed out bow on it's side on my workbench and tracing the profile onto the bench top.  Once the bow was shot in, I laid it back down to see how much set it had taken (and more importantly...WHERE in the limb).  By the time the bow was finished the bow bench was covered with scribblings, phone numbers, mathematics, and other doodlings that I would repaint the bench. 

I stopped doing it because twice I got caught crying over how much set they took.

[bushboy]

kthx's just read some thing somewhere that's how it's metered.

[PatM]

However you measure it makes no difference. The bow is what it is when it's done.
 You could have five people examine your bow and give you five different opinions and the bow will still work exactly the same way.

[Badger]

 Set doesn't always tell the whole story, I have had bows take 2" string follow and still have a rock hard string at brace, i have had other bows maintain maybe 1" reflex yet still not feel so hard at brace height. Some bows will disquise set better than others.

[Del the cat]

Simple.
Hold the bow up against a nice straight wall, beam etc with the tips touching the wall, see how many fingers you can get between the grip and the wall. 1 is great. 2 is fine. 3 is getting a bit poor, but can still be a great bow.
Of course on a deflex reflex design that may be just right.
If the tips won't touch the wall you have some reflex or the bow is round the wrong way
The trick to making bows that exactly meet spec' and timescale is to write 'em after you've finished the bow

Measurements are all well and good, but remeber:-
You dan't fatten a pig by weighing it
Del

[WillS]

Has to be done with the back to the wall doesn't it Del? Otherwise a bit of what you're measuring is the thickness of the grip.  If the grip is an inch thick, and the bow placed against the wall with the belly facing the wall shows 1" from wall to grip, the bow has taken 2" of set because the grip is 1" thick.

I've always assumed the issue with set is tip travel.  So you have to hold the bow with the back to the wall and measure from wall to the tip.  Might be wrong though...

I never cared about set until I found this forum! Bows were bows and they shot well or didn't and then suddenly everybody is trying to keep them dead straight all the time.   

[Del the cat]

Has to be done with the back to the wall doesn't it Del? Otherwise a bit of what you're measuring is the thickness of the grip.  If the grip is an inch thick, and the bow placed against the wall with the belly facing the wall shows 1" from wall to grip, the bow has taken 2" of set because the grip is 1" thick.

I've always assumed the issue with set is tip travel.  So you have to hold the bow with the back to the wall and measure from wall to the tip.  Might be wrong though...

I never cared about set until I found this forum! Bows were bows and they shot well or didn't and then suddenly everybody is trying to keep them dead straight all the time.

You can measure it how you like... I see what you mean, but I stand by my method as I'm not actually measuring it. I'm just roughly gauging it.
If you are worred about the little bit of set that's equal to the taper in the limbs then OMO you are into the realms of overthink.
Measurement method doesn't matter as long as you always do it the same.
Del
(My way has the advantage of giveing a lower figure )

[WillS]

Yeah I prefer your method haha!  Especially with a warbow with 1.5" thick handle area... "Ooh, half inch of set! Get in!"

[nclonghunter]

Haven't actually tried this because I am not that concerned, but I think running a string from tip to tip along the belly and measure from the string at handle to the back of the bow. The bow is unstrung for the measurement. String it, shoot it and then unstring it and do the same measurements again. If there is any follow the measurement will be greater....

Good Luck

[PEARL DRUMS]

Its easier to measure lost reflex than actual set taken. I take my floor tillered blanks and hold them back against the wall and measure from the center of the handles back to the wall. Then tiller it out and shoot it 40-50 times. Repeat that same process after some time passes for the bow to relax again. The number I get then is how much reflex I lost.

[Del the cat]

Its easier to measure lost reflex than actual set taken. I take my floor tillered blanks and hold them back against the wall and measure from the center of the handles back to the wall. Then tiller it out and shoot it 40-50 times. Repeat that same process after some time passes for the bow to relax again. The number I get then is how much reflex I lost.

... which is typically???
Del

[PEARL DRUMS]

Really depends on design and wood Del. Id say I lose about 20-30% of my induced reflex as an average.