Trying to reduce set in my bows....to no avail

[Sidewinder]

I have been making bows now for about 8 yrs. They have gotten progressively better in a lot of ways. They balance well and have very good cast. People that see and shoot them seem to like them. I know I am happy with their performance. None are sluggish by any means. My biggest issue is I can not seem to make a bow with no set. I am wondering if its how I approach tiller. I see guys on here all the time and their stuff lays dead flat when unstrung. How do you guys do it is my question?
I wonder if I need to get the outer limbs bending more before I get it to brace and start pulling it on the tree. What is some of your input?    Danny

[burchett.donald]

Danny, I induce reflex on a caul...Some of it usually stays...
                                                                                            Don

[UserNameTaken]

Do a search (on the forum) for George Tsoukalas, and read the little blurb at the bottom of one of his posts. It will help put things in perspective.

[wizardgoat]

I made a caul as well, and try to heat in 4" of reflex.
2-3" ends up staying, and you lose a couple of those inches in tillering.
Unless your stave has natural reflex, it's pretty hard to end up with no string follow if your stave is straight.
Build a caul, there's some info on how on here somewhere

[Fred Arnold]

Danny, I have the same problem. At first I attributed the cause to unseasoned wood but that was not the problem. I have a 28 1/2" draw and because of the length staves I've worked with my belief is that I'm inducing more stress than the wood can handle per my design.
I generally add 2" of reflex on my caul and usually lose that to set/ string follow.
I think my only option is to go longer/wider to compensate but I'll sacrifice a little string follow rather than carry around a 70" bow in the woods.

[JonW]

It's probably that junky Kansas Hedge Danny I have watched you make several bows. If I could say there is something specific you need to do differently I would tell you and I think you know that. There is something that I think could use a different approach. You could try balancing your tiller a little earlier than what you do. You may be stressing the wood too much before the tiller balances out. That is just an observation from what I have watched you do. Not everyone is completely honest about the set in their own bows.

[bushboy]

Danny , I think that a proper floor tiller is the key!Imho ,people depend to much on tillering trees and don't tiller enough by how the brace looks.tillering boards are much easier than knarly staves but the same rules apply .No matter what there's always gonna be set ,it's just some people hide it better than others.

[George Tsoukalas]

String follow is when the bow looks like it is strung to a greater or lesser degree even if it is not.

Danny, it is impossible to make a wooden bow without set. If the bowyer induces 3 inches of reflex and when the  bow is done 1 inch remains. The bow has 1 inch of set.


Thus, it is possible to make a bow without string follow by inducing some ( 2-3 inches or so) reflex.

Jawge

[Badger]

      I think most bows take some set. The best we can do is try to minimise it. If you monitor your wood closer durring the tillering process you will be able to react to very small amounts of set before they become evident. I usually get my mid limb area working pretty good and then if I show any set at all I start looking for someplace I can get some more wood bending. 2" of set on a reflexed bow is pretty typical I would guess, thats why most of the guys start with reflex. If you feeel you are getting too much and your tillering procedure is sound then you may want to look at your demensions. A good excersize is to make a bow as heavy as you can make it with no set, you may find your 50# target weight comes out to 40. I like to keep my set at about 1" but don't always achieve that.

[osage outlaw]

I've shot and hunted with the bow you sent me.  I have no complaints.  It shoots just fine.  Like everyone else said, if you aren't using a caul to reflex the bow before or during tillering you might give that a try.  Look at your bows and see where they take the most set.  Make a caul that puts more reflex in that area. 

[Pappy]

Good advice above,I usuall like about 3 inches of added reflex and hope to end up with an inch or so reflex,that would be 2 inches of set. bushboy ,not sure anyone is trying to hide it,just compensate for it. it happens. I do think some of it is the wood we use,even in the same type of wood I will find some that just won't give up hardly any reflex and then another that it seems all you do to try and stop it, don't help much. Moisture is a big issue but some wood just stand flat much easier than others,wished I could figure out why.
   Pappy

[Badger]

  I agree with you Pappy wood is just like an untrained athelete, it aint all created equal for sure.

[4dog]

i stopped worrying about set...wish it didnt happen..but...i built a bow recently that made me not care...had it at the classic....it aas no slower or faster than other selfbows to my eye...set happens...lol..need a t-shirt with that on it!!   "SET HAPPENS"...just not 4" of it 

[dwardo]

If you are not getting a little set you are not trying hard enough.

[mikekeswick]

I always trace the profile of the bow i'm working on before bending it. Then once tillering starts i'm always checking it against it's original profile to see exactly where any set i've induced is. Then just remember that saying in the Bowyers Bible - no set in the inner limbs, a little mid limb and the rest out along the rest of the limb. (or something like that!)