Willie, you asked... "This setup works until you get tillered out to about how many inches?"
It can, and should be used the whole way to full draw. Some bows are able to come to the line sooner in the draw than others depending on their center location, and where they're drawn from on the string... such as... generally, asymmetrical bows sooner than symmetrical, and 3 under sooner than split, but it depends, so much is relative.. but once they're there, it's pretty easy to keep them there throughout the rest of the draw with minor adjustments if the hook starts to drift.
"The top end of the line on the wall is offset from the handle center to your estimated bow hand pressure point?"
It's offset from the handle center, yes. But no, not to the bow hand pressure point. Rather, the entire line, top to bottom, is the string hand fulcrum point's 'proposed perfect travel route', i.e. its path when neither limb overpowers the other, allowing it to come straight back to anchor(straight down the tree), perfectly square/perpendicular to the handle area.
To find the line location... Decide what nock point height you want, I set mine so the arrow's 1/4" nock is 1/8" above perpendicular to the shelf(so 3/8" from shelf location to bottom of nock point). Then just measure down the string/across the wall from the bottom of the nock point, the thickness of your arrow nock, plus the distance to fulcrum point of string hand. Take your time to get this as accurate as possible. Mark it on the wall under the handle support and draw a plumb line down the wall with a level. Set your lower pulley near the floor on the line.
"When fine tuning the balance, the single pivot is placed at the best estimate of the bow hand pressure point?"
When I switch to the pivot, I usually start off by placing it where it wants to balance early in the draw just to see where that is exactly... to see what I'm up against. Then move the pivot to where I would like the balance point at full draw. Many bows, some more than others, will have a bow hand pressure point that migrates during the draw, especially the early draw. This is the 'sliding fulcrum' Dean Torges mentioned is his article 'Tillering the Organic Bow'. But regardless of whether it migrates a little, a lot, or not at all... the goal is to have the limb strengths balanced at anchor, relative to the archer's holds. I'd say if I'm estimating something, it's where I think the dynamic fulcrum in my bow hand should be at full draw, because hands are complex fleshy things. lol. But after all these years, I have a pretty good 'handle' on where mine is
"I take it that you would not expect to see the hook deviate from a line drawn from that pivot point to the center of the pulley, so you must be looking for the limbs tipping as you draw?"
It can and will deviate from the line various amounts depending on some factors already mentioned, but it is free to tilt as you noted. So as more pressure is applied during the draw, the hook will tend to be moved toward the pulley, and so also toward the line, BUT if the bow is unbalanced, it will still reveal it in the handle leaning, and in how the limbs are leaning and flexing.
"Please excuse the detailed questions. I am not being picky, I just want to understand your method better. I must confess that I have read your past explanations without really truly grasping your method, and as I am not the sharpest tack in the box, I appreciate this detailed explanation (and many of the explanations you have made in the past.)"
No problem whatsoever. I would rather have detailed questions such as yours. This is the kind of stuff we 'should' be picky about, imo. I know it's what I'm picky about(ok, ONE of the things) because it does help me make better bows. I appreciate you asking insightful questions.
I apologize to Tradslinger if this derailed his thread.
