Exercising limbs

[yellow feather]

My question that I was wondering is  it possible to over stress the limbs over your max. draw weight, causing string follow, when you exercise the limbs after wood removal when tillering and before stringing and put on tillering tree. It seems to me that I get excessive string follow even though I never pull on the tree more than my target draw weight. David

[Dano]

David, how do you keep your staves and bow blanks dry? If you live in a humid climate, chances are your wood has too much moisture content. If you have measure Rh and temp you can use the following calculator to keep the moisture down.
http://www.woodbin.com/ref/wood/emc.htm
High moisture content will cause alot of string follow.

[George Tsoukalas]

Sure its possible That's why you shouldn't. Make sure your bow is no more than 15 # over final target weight before you string it for the first time. Exercise at partial draw after wood removal. Jawge

[El Destructo]

How are you exercising the Limbs.....on the Floor....like floor Tillering....or on the Tree....where you can control the Poundage Drawn???

[ricktrojanowski]

After wood removal.  I gradually draw the bow to the draw length that I was drawing to prior to the wood removal.  I do this slowly in a series of draws starting much shorter than the final draw.  I then draw it further to the desired draw weight and no more.

[GregB]

Sure its possible That's why you shouldn't. Make sure your bow is no more than 15 # over final target weight before you string it for the first time. Exercise at partial draw after wood removal. Jawge

Jawge, I'm guessing that you're using the long string during tillering and not bracing the bow until you've estimated the bow is about 15# heavy of desired weight?

[yellow feather]

Sorry it took so long to get back.Thanks for all the response. I live in west Texas and for the most part, it's hot and dry with low humidity. I also try to keep it in a hot box with one light bulb. I work it like floor tillering right after wood removal  before I brace it. Then I draw it some before I put on the tree.David

[Pat B]

You probably aren't exercising it enough just with floor tiller action.     Pat

[Dano]

Yep, I'm with Pat, I exercize the limbs about 30-40 pulls on the tiller tree, between wood removal, never going over draw wieght. On long string and short string. I don't do a heck of a lot of floor tillering, seems like I can see more on the tree.

[yellow feather]

Pat, Dano.(Thanks) Today I've just been working it on the tree without the floor tillering and I have always worked it 20 or 30 times before pulling to max draw weight on the tree. I'll see what happens. Should I let the stave cool after being in the hot box before bending? David

[Dano]

David, I wouldn't worry about cooling, what temp do you keep your hot box?

[yellow feather]

Dano. I don't know how hot it is,probably 110 or so, but only has one 100 watt bulb and air space around the lid, and it's over 100 degrees outside right now. I didn't think it would hurt but thought I'd ask to be safe. David

[Dano]

The only time I would worry about a bow in progress is when the humidity is up above 40%, then I would keep it in a box at about 90 deg. http://www.woodbin.com/ref/wood/emc.htm

[El Destructo]

The only time I would worry about a bow in progress is when the humidity is up above 40%, then I would keep it in a box at about 90 deg. http://www.woodbin.com/ref/wood/emc.htm

Well that aint happening in Texas....unless it's Corpus Christi or Houston!!!!!

[Coo-wah-chobee]

The only time I would worry about a bow in progress is when the humidity is up above 40%, then I would keep it in a box at about 90 deg. http://www.woodbin.com/ref/wood/emc.htm
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Ya mean humidity drops below 40 %! Well learn somethin' every day ! ...bob