There's a lesson here

[Deerhunter21]

hey so today I was building a red oak bow and I was to the point of putting oil on it and making it waterproof and all that (I even put mahogany tip overlays on it), thats when I noticed that one limb was way stiffer than the other and it was on of those facepalm moments when I went how can I be so stupid! so I put it on my tillering stick and then on my vise and I grabbed my spoke shave and started at it. problem is... I took it way too far down and the bow went from pulling 30# at 26" to pulling 14# at 26". (and here's the lesson that made me want to put this on here) I am a bigginner (obviously) and for all those other begginners out there that take things for granted, Im telling you, GO SLOW ON THE TILLER! or this will happen! on to bow number 4. 

Russ

[Hawkdancer]

I'll Bet a beer that there is some kid in the neighborhood who needs a bow!  And some arrows!  Trade her/him some yard work or errands for it.  Then teach them what you've learned!  Patience, Grasshopper!  Btw, I am just starting on my 2nd bow, so have a chuckle! !
Hawkdancer

[Del the cat]

Yup, it's one of the hardest things, knowing how much to take off to achieve the desired result.
I've had to take 10# off several bow for people and done it while they waited... they always ask how I know how much to remove.
Just experience 
Del

[bjrogg]

You are so right deerhunter21. It sometimes takes awhile to develop a eye for tillering. It in my opinion is the very most important part of making a bow. I'm pretty sure everyone who's been doing this for awhile would agree with me. It's the time especially beginners need to slow down and study their bend. It's also the time when especially beginners get excited because it's starting to bend and they hit target weight and really want to shoot their bow. If it's any consolation, you probably wouldn't have been really happy with your poorly tillered bow anyway. Time to get out another stick and put the lessons you learned into effect.
Bjrogg
PS don't be surprised if you learn a few more lessons the hard way.lol

[ksnow]

When you think you've got the tiller just about right, take a few pics at full draw, both sides of the bow. Look at them a day later, or a few days later. You'll see the little, or big, things that your brain wanted to skip past in the excitement of the moment.

Kyle

[Eric Krewson]

If you use a tillering gizmo it will be easier to match your limbs.

[PEARL DRUMS]

If you were close enough to wipe a finish on then grabbing a spoke shave was mistake one. At that point a piece of sandpaper should take care of any tiller deficiency's. Maybe a few scrapes. Slow down young fella. Don't be in a hurry to throw a bow into the trash can.

[timmyd]

"Don't be in a hurry to throw a bow into the trash can.".....absolutely masterful advice. This should be made into a sign and hung in every bow shop LOL

[ohma2]

Agree with ksnow take some pics and study them youll be amazed at what you can pick out just studying them.

[SLIMBOB]

Offering some advice that will nearly eliminate this problem going forward. Put your bow on the tiller stick or tree. Pull only a few inches. What does it look like?  Does the straight edge confirm or contradict what you see?  If it confirms, go a few more inches and repeat. But if it contradicts.....Don’t...Go...Any...Further.  This is where I see most new bowmakers screwing up.  Fix the issue first, before doing anything else. Full Stop!  Going any further without fixing the issue first...at best a waste of time, effort and material. You may not fix it entirely at that stage, but you will or should, greatly improve the issue. Now go a few inches more and check it. Looks good?  Does the straight edge confirm or contradict?  If it confirms go a few more inches, but if it contradicts, Don’t....Go...Any...Further.  Fix it now. I know several things are at work that leads to this, #1. Your tiller eye is not developed. Been there. Use the straight edge or gizmo or computer circles to augment your tiller eye. #2. You just want to finish a bow. Been there.  Pulling your bow to 15 inches when a problem is spotted at 10 inches, a recipe for sub par results. Pulling it to 27 inches...a recipe for failure. Post pictures at 10 inches. Get a good consensus that it’s fixed, then go to 12 inches, then 14 and so forth. The better that tiller is very early on, the easier it will be to finish it up, as you will just be adjusting the draw weight in the latter stages, instead of fighting an issue now, that you may never get past without ending up with a 19 lb draw weight. Never pull past a problem in the tiller.

[Loganic]

If a 14# bow is practically firewood to you, it might be better to just leave out-of-tiller bows at the poundage they're at rather than trying to fix the tiller. Of course, if you can modify the tiller without losing too much weight, by all means learn to do that.

My first bow is wildly out of tiller, but it's a 2" wide 72" long ash flatbow, so that kind of helps it out. As you can probably guess, though, it's not very fast.

[Deerhunter21]

Slimbob, I don't really understand how you would use the straight edge

Loganic, I made a mistake checking the weight and its actually 8#. Also I was just frustrated. Im going to cut the tips down, tiller it and give it to my 7 yr old neighbor. No fire just yet!

[SLIMBOB]

Put your bow on the tiller stick. If you are on the long string, pull the tips of the bow a few inches. And lock it in. Take a 3-4 inch straight edge. Anything good and straight. A 4 inch 1X2 for example. Run that straight edge along the belly of the bow, starting near the fade. Because the limb is bent into an arch, the straight edge will show a gap between  itself and the belly. That gap tells you what part of the limb is bending more or less relative to the rest of the limb and relative to the other limb. You want a fairly consistent gap (assuming straight limbs). If you have an area with no daylight, but with an eighth inch gap just past that spot, that spot is flat and needs to bend more, until the gap is relatively the same along the length of the limb. A little horse sense is needed...should be flat at the fade and should be flat near the tips with stiff tips. Easy peasy. Look up “Old Wormy Osage” post. I have some pictures that demonstrate its use which should help.

[Deerhunter21]

Thanks SLIMBOB!