yew molly tiller check - 53@26 - 2nd bow ever - don't want to mess this one up!

[NicAzana]

Hi everyone.

Started this one a year ago. It's my 2nd bow ever, and it's getting really close. Haven't hinged it (yet), haven't gone underweight. It's currently at 53 lbs at 26'', target is same weight at 28'', but I won't cry if it ends up at 50lbs@28.

Would really appreciate some opinions on the tiller. It has some natural deflex at the fades, and some prop. twist as well, that doesn't interfere with drawing. Next time I'm definitely doing a simpler design. It had a few big knots going through from belly to side, that i got some advice for last year -fretted over them endlessly and of course they ended out being mostly tillered out;)

Its yew from a park, 1 3/4" wide at the fades, ~1 1/4" wide at the lever fades. It's currently weighing in at 546 g. (19,25 oz.)

Besides the natural deflex, it's taken about half an inch of set in the top limb, about 3/4-1" in the lower limb, top limb is half an inch longer.

EDIT: forgot to write bow length: it is 63" NTN.

Left side:


Right side:

[simk]

Nic, I have done some of them. Imho left side is almost perfect - maybe a tad more bend out of the fades. right side some more bend out of the fade and maybe a little more just at/before the outer fade. ...without knowing where knots and other curiosities may are...and hear what others maybe see and say... Edit: i only watched the lower pic...

[bushboy]

Time to draw it by hand with an arrow ....

[Weylin]

Time to draw it by hand with an arrow ....

I agree. I start drawing by hand to judge the tiller when i get a few inches away from full draw. Sometimes it looks different on the tree than in the hand and it's in the hand that really matters. I think you're close based on what I can see. bottom limb looks a hair stiff if anything.

[NicAzana]

Thanks for the help guys

Simk, thanks for the edit, I first thought you were talking about the two pictures, and I weren't seeing what you said:)

Weylin, bushboy, I think you are probably right, It's not lying entirely horizontal on the tree, and also being stabilized by the flat surface.

I put circles on it i a picture editing program, and it is saying that the tiller of both limb are arc of the circle - which my thickness taper is also telling me. Also, the lower limb is slightly stiff, well spotted Weylin, i guess when you make as many bows as you have, it just pops right out

How do you do it in the hand? do you look in a mirror, or do you have the missus take a picture?

[NicAzana]

Got the missus to take some pics.

To me, it looks pretty good, perhaps both limbs slightly stiff at the handle fades?

I'm not really experienced enough to judge how balanced the limbs look. To me , they look pretty good, lower limb perhaps a little stiff? Anyone want to venture a more qualified opinion?

btw, please excuse my terrible form in these pics

[Pappy]

Looks a little stiff on the upper fad, other than that looks good to me.How does it shoot?
 Pappy

[NicAzana]

I have only shot it with a short ~22" draw so far. It slapped my wrist  a little, but I have yet to make a proper string, this one is twisted shorter, so I think its too stretchy. It felt pretty snappish to me, but I don't have proper arrows yet (had to wait to know the spine), and this is my first time shooting a 50 lb bow (my first one was 35-40 lbs).

I still have to thin the tips a bit, that will also help. Its a bit scary. The lever fades go from 1.25" to 0.75" width, and then tapers to 3/8" tips. By my calculations, I should be able to thin them to about 1.2-1.25 times the thickness of the working limb just before the fades, and still have a margin of safety.

[scp]

Incredibly good, especially for just a second bow ever. I have nothing to add but I would start using only sand papers and keep on shooting the bow with a proper string.

[NicAzana]

thanks for the kind words, scp!

I think I’ll start by getting the belly corners rounded, and see where that takes it. What grit sandpaper whould you use?

[bushboy]

Be a bit careful with your upper fade transition,looks a slight bit weak or it could be my eyes.nice work ,insure you'll enjoy the performance of that style!

[Bubbabowyer]

Like most said, I would go to sandpaper and work that top fade a bit more. Stop at 55 or 56 lbs at 27 inches and shoot it in to 28 from there. Should settle in to about what you want after 1 or 2 hundred shots or so.

[Hrothgar]

Corners can reduce pretty quickly.  I sometimes use 60 grit for drastic belly removal, but for finishing, start with 120. I've learned some short cuts for rounding corners but don't necessarily recommend it. By using a cabinet scraper or the back edge of a hack saw blade a person can  quickly and evenly round off corners, but if you get carried away it can drastically change the tiller profile.

[NicAzana]

Cool, I'll give the top limb handle fades 2-3 scrapes, and 1 down the entire bottom limb, and then start rounding the corners with 120-150 grit sand paper.

bushboy, there's a little bumb on the left side of the top limb at the lever fade, which makes it look slightly hinged there. If you look at the same spot from the other side, it doesn't look hinged.