How soon do you go to a short tillering string?

[osage outlaw]

I am a beginner trying to figure out this bow making stuff.  I have finished my first bow, but I made a typical rookie mistake and ended up with a 35# bow instead of 50# which was my goal.  I think I stayed on the long tiller string to long.  By the time I put a short string on it, it was already under weight.  I am hoping to sinew back it this fall and add a few pounds.  What can I expect to gain when I back it?  Thanks for any advice.

[DanaM]

I go to a low brace as soon as the limbs are bending evenly and I have the physical strength to brace it

[Hillbilly]

As soon as possible. Also, my "long string" is as short as I can make it and still get it on the bow. I've whip-tillered a couple in the past by keeping them on the long string too long.

[Pappy]

I do the same as Dana and Steve,You can add some weight by heat tempering the belly and flipping the tips ,maybe 10 lbs.Sinew will add weight for sure but don't know how much.If you are just starting I would go with heat and tips and try to do better on the second.Sinew is a lot of work
and you can run into a lot of different problems. Congrats on a shooter,that is a lot better than most first bows.
   Pappy

[Kegan]

As was said, I brace it once it's even and equal.

As for the bow, I'd just set it aside for when you have more experience to fix it up. Alwyas a fun project redoing an older bow later on

[bigcountry]

I am currently learning when too and when not.  This last bow, I took off long string as soon as one limb was same power as other and no hinges.  I used to only brace when I could brace by push-pull bracing method.  But I use a stringer, and get it to 1" as soon as possible. 

I am still learning. 

[Eric Krewson]

I go to the short string when I can run a tillering gizmo up both limbs and see no weak or hingy spots. I leave the tips stiff on the long string and get them bending on the short string.

Because I am usually 20 or 30 lbs over target weight when I go to the short string I can't string the bow with out a stringer. I always use tip overlays on my bows so I cut an extra groove above the string nock to put the extra long bow string I use as a stringer in.  I put the stringer over the bow string in the lower string nock and use my extra groove on the top limb. I could probably string a 150# bow with this arrangement. 

I don't finish shaping my overlays until I can manually string a bow at which point the extra groove is filed away.
Here is a stringing groove on a nock overlay.

[mspink]

Like everybody said I brace my bow rather low as soon as possible and continue tillering to make sure limbs are still even then I start checking the weight on a makeshift scale ive made. If you take your time your desired weight should be at around 21 or so inches and if you shave even amounts of wood off each limb every time and pull down to desired weight it should be 22 or 23 inches, and so on. As long as tiller remains even you can continue this until desired draw length without undercutting weight. I hope this can help some.

[George Tsoukalas]

I long string tiller out to 10 in. of string movement. I check weight and look for target weight +5# at that distance. That put s me 10-15# over final target weight of the b ow. So If I want a 50# bow I long string tiller to 10 in. of string movement. and get a weight of 55#. Then I string it with the short string and tiller away. More on my site. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/

[NOMADIC PIRATE]

Soon as possible, ...brace it very low, than slowly increase brace height as I refine tiller, by the time I get to full brace height tiller is usually acieved, from than on is all about losing weight and shooting the bow in,....slooowly 

[wakosama]

I didn't start this query.... BUT thanks ALL... you just enlightened me as to why I messed up my earlier efforts.  So simple a thing...

[Aosda]

I use 550 cord for my long string, which like George said is just long enough to fit.  Shorten the string in about 1" increments til I get brace height. 

[sailordad]

i dont even use a long string anymore
i floor tiller until i can string it with a semi short string,at a bout a 2-3 inch brace height.
then i eyeball tiller and keep puting on a shorter and shorter string untill its at full brace.
seems to be working out pretty well for me this way.

[Canoe]

Howdy Group,

Not too long ago, I had asked a very similar question; When do we go from Long String to Short String to Bow String?

Well, I got a number of answers.  And so, I took what sounded to be a good merger of that advice.

From that advice, I decided to not use a Long String, - go straight to the Short String. 
Short String is about as short as I can make it and can still get it on the bow - before it is actually bending the bow when strung.

I then get the the limbs bending evenly to about 7" or 8" of limb movement (equal to about 15" of draw length) with the draw weight at about 95% of target weight.  (That is...  for a 45# draw, I Short String pull it to about 40# at about 7" of limb movement (again, equal to about 15" of draw length).
 
Also, I make a point to leave the outer (near the tips) eight or nine inches stiff.

Then, I'll put the Bow String on, and begin final tiller; to pull the bow string out to, (but not beyond), the target weight while slowly removing belly wood to increase draw length to my 28" draw.
 
Also, I always remember to exercise the limbs between scrapings (about 30 pulls each times.)

With this method, I will not pull the bow beyond the draw weight.  And, I'll be looking at the limbs, on the tiller tree, while they are at my draw weight.  So, all I have to do is to scrape belly wood to increasing draw length while tillering (controlling the curve in the limbs).

I think that will work.

All the Best,
Canoe 

 

[osage outlaw]

THANKS TO EVERYONE.  I was working on second bow this morning that I was trying to squeeze out of a really small, narrow stave that had some character and problems.  I found a bad crack in the bad limb that is to deep to save.  To bad, it had a really cool zig zag limb and a really straight limb.  Back to square one again.  I took a nice wide osage stave and layed out a bow according to the design in the TBB vol. 1 osage chapter.  Cut it out on the band saw and started chasing a ring.  Hopefully this one turns out a little better.  It has nice rings and only two small pin knots.  One in the handle and one in the fade.  It has a slight twist, but should be easy to heat out.  As soon as I get the string for the first bow, I'll post a picture.