Adjusting reflex/tiller

[Billbob]

Have a 59"ntn maple pulling 52@26 that I tried to add reflex to.  Reverse strung it and put 3 layers of sinew on it.  Noticed the on limb was bending a little more than the other but didn't think it would hurt it, would just have to touch-up the tiller.  Let it set in a warm dry place for the last month and just checked on it last night.  Saw the one limb had a lot more reflex than the other.  Strung it last night and the one limb is overpowering the other by a lot and pulled the reflex out of the other limb.  Can I fix this by heating one of the limbs and either adding or removing reflex?  I tried to remove some thickness off the more reflexed limb to weaken it, but it doesn't seem to be helping. The bow was shooting fine until I tried this  .

[Pat B]

No heat once you sinewed it.  You may have to remove the sinew and add it back on after you adjust the tiller.
 Was the bow tillered?  Did you add the same amount of sinew to both limbs?

[Billbob]

The bow was tillered and shooting good.  Just thought i would try and add a little speed to it.  I thought I put the same amount of sinew on both limbs. Do I remove the sinew from both limbs? Do I put the limb/limbs in water and let it soak till the sinew comes off?

[Blaflair2]

I've been told to never sinew a bow to inhabited its performance.

[PatM]

I've been told to never sinew a bow to inhabited its performance.

  You were lied to.

[Blaflair2]

I meant improve...

I always thought u shouldn't unless the bow needs/designed for sinew. Like the back is iffy or the wood needs it as such. If the bow was shooting well and u wanted to add performance, make another.

[PatM]

That's only true if you basically wreck the bow by making it mushy or hinged and then try to reverse that. An undamaged bow can be enhanced by sinew.
 

[Billbob]

I was trying to give it a little more zip.  Guess I need to soak the sinew off the limb that reflexed to much, or maybe just take it all off and start over.

[Bob Barnes]

just guessing, but it looks like you made your bow with a much shorter bottom limb and that the longer top limb reflexed more when sinew was applied?  It might work out some after it's shot a bit if the tiller was right to begin with...?  Either way I think I'd just let it settle in and then remove a little wood if needed to retiller.

[Billbob]

The limbs are the same length.  I had a little bit longer string on it and the extremly reflexed limb wasn't flexing near as much as the other.  Was afraid of putting the the regular string on it and over stressing the weaker limb.

[PatM]

Remember the more reflexed limb actually may be weaker than it appears. Reflexed bows are notorious  for appearing stronger than they actually are until you get the limb moving past brace height.

[Billbob]

That's why I was afraid of taking wood off the reflexed limb, but I didn't want to induce anymore set than I needed to in the other limb.  Might try a little shorter string and see how it reacts.

[blackhawk]

Get any symmetrical tiller notions out of your head,and retiller it to balance evenly as it is being drawn..meaning one limb isn't stronger and causing it to tip towards that strong limb on the fulcrum point of where the hand applies pressure to the bow...your braced n full drawn tiller won't look right(symmetry wise)..but it should "feel" right...

[Billbob]

Well, I put a shorter string on it and got it to a brace height of about 6".  Tiller wasn't to bad, but had some flat spots I was working on when I heard a crack and the bottom limb started to bend a lot more.  Looks like I have a small crack along the edge of the limb.  Can I put some TBII or something and maybe a little more sinew in that area to save it? 

[Billbob]

Closer look at the crack.  Just seems to be right along the edge of the limb.