How much to bend when removing wood.

[DC]

I have a bow with a little bit of a hinge/weak spot. I'm using a Gizmo to sort it out. I don't want to pull it too hard because of the weak spot but I do want to pull it far enough to "train" it after removing some wood. How much should I bend it so the wood removal will show/be effective?

[sleek]

I just floor tiller that limb, bending it about 10-15 times on the floor, bending it far enough to see where all the wood is flexing. I find thats adequate.

[willie]

Don, How much do you normally exercise after making an adjustment?

[BowEd]

I get your concern here DC.That can depend on what kind of wood it is too,or whether it's backed or sinew backed or not.Some lighter type woods can reveal change just going to brace after wood removal and some not.Usually the denser the wood the more excersize it needs.Same about being sinew backed or with a horn belly too.They need lots of excercize.At least 30 to 40 times to be assured it's revealed.
Low level bending like floor tillering is'nt going to put set onto a bow.

[Badger]

  The first thing I would find out is how much pull does it take before the hinge starts approaching the maximum you want it to bend. If it approaches that before your target draw weight then you simply have to lower your target draw weight. Once you establish your target draw weight you can go to that each time you put the bow on the tiller tree if you want to. I have never liked to idea of teaching a bow to bend, to me thats the same thing as saying induce set intentionally.

[BowEd]

Well put.

[DC]

Don, How much do you normally exercise after making an adjustment?

Maybe a half dozen pulls, sometimes none. probably not enough now that you make me think about it

I get your concern here DC.That can depend on what kind of wood it is too,or whether it's backed or sinew backed or not.Some lighter type woods can reveal change just going to brace after wood removal and some not.Usually the denser the wood the more excersize it needs.Same about being sinew backed or with a horn belly too.They need lots of excercize.At least 30 to 40 times to be assured it's revealed.
Low level bending like floor tillering is'nt going to put set onto a bow.

Thanks Ed

  The first thing I would find out is how much pull does it take before the hinge starts approaching the maximum you want it to bend. If it approaches that before your target draw weight then you simply have to lower your target draw weight. Once you establish your target draw weight you can go to that each time you put the bow on the tiller tree if you want to.

OK got that

  I have never liked to idea of teaching a bow to bend, to me thats the same thing as saying induce set intentionally.

Does that mean you don't exercise the bow? What do you think "teaching a bow to bend" means? I've never quite understood that even though I may have said it on occasion

[willie]

Does that mean you don't exercise the bow? What do you think "teaching a bow to bend" means? I've never quite understood that even though I may have said it on occasion

Don, I have been thinking of asking the same question recently. There are many new guys here recently, that I am sure would be interested in the working methods of the more experienced.

My personal observation is, a few years back, exercising while tillering was advocated almost universally, while I don't hear that advice repeated as often now.

I my self have noticed that if the wood is fresh, adjustments are seen quickly, but as a bow is "broken in" more, adjustments don't show as quickly. Admittedly, I don't exercise much sometimes while tillering, only a few pulls. But some bows need to have their tiller touched up when strung to shoot after being unused for a while.

[DC]

I've noticed that a lot of guys allow 2-3# for "breaking in". I've never noticed that loss so I assumed that I must be working it enough on the tree to get the job done. Even bows that have too much set seem to hold their weight.
 Something that finally sunk in is that my staves are rather skinny because I use a lot of saplings and branches. This means narrow bows. To me a bow that isn't 40#@28" isn't of much interest so I try to get to that on every bow. This means that a lot of these bows are too narrow but I continue anyway and then get mad at myself because the bow takes too much set. I do a lot of staring at a heat gun

[willie]

Don,
what I mean by "broken in more" is the compression that happens as you brace and work thru the final inches of tiller. This compression doesn't have to be so severe as to show up as measurable set. Maybe "hidden set" as I believe Steve calls it, is a better choice of words.