How "bendy" is floor tillered??

[paulc]

How much flex do you all put into a stave before you switch from saws and draw knives to scrapers and sand paper?  TIA, Paulc

[Pat B]

I only use a band saw to get the rough shape of the bow. Just to eliminate the bulk of the excess wood. After that I use a rasp to get to floor tiller and after I get about 4" of tip movement I switch to a long string. Be sure your limbs are bending evenly during floor tiller. I use a draw knife only to remove the bark and sapwood. In whitewoods I don't use a draw knife. Just peel the bark, reduce the excess wood with the band saw and rasp to floor tiller stage. Once I get any stave past floor tiller I use only a scraper to tiller the bow. When I'm sure the tiller is good and the string tracks correctly I shape the handle and tips.
After I sure the tiller is right and I have shot 50 to 100 arrows through the bow I will use sand paper to remove the tool marks.

[woodstick]

i use a draw knive  on my bows to shape the bow then rasp then scraper. i dont use any power tools at all. i get my floor tiller good with some bend i just know where to stop from experince. not alot but enough to get me in trouble. shot it in then finish. i also use my scraper to get rasp marks out then sand.

[George Tsoukalas]

There are buildalongs on my site. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/

[Jesse]

For me I cut it close on the bandsaw and then almost all the tillering is done with an orbital sander starting with 60 grit and moving all the way to 220 for the final tiller. Works very fast, no tool marks and no hinges

[islandpiper]

Jesse, I'm sure you use a "primitive" orbital sander.....

piper

[Jesse]

Jesse, I'm sure you use a "primitive" orbital sander.....

piper

oh yeah Dewalt variable speed. Invented right after the wheel. But seriously it works great. Bandsaws are not really any more primitive

[ricktrojanowski]

I rough out with a bandsaw and then get to final "shape" with a heavy rasp and small drawknife.  Then floor tiller with lighter rasp (nicholson) and scrapers until the bow is about 15# over what I intend the bow to finish at.  Then when up on the tree I use scrapers only, unless there is some wierd grain situation and have to use a light rasp.  Once tiller is finished then I do my sanding figuring on losing another 1-2 pounds in weight.

[Del the cat]

I use an axe upto the point when the stave realises it's a bow and not just a log (e.g it starts to flex) then it's rasp, spokeshave, beaver taped to a stick...(not really..it's a squirrel on a stick ).
Del

[sailordad]

I use an axe upto the point when the stave realises it's a bow and not just a log (e.g it starts to flex) then it's rasp, spokeshave, beaver taped to a stick...(not really..it's a squirrel on a stick ).
Del

del   did you get that last tool from the orange box store,or did ya have to special order it?
gotta get me on of them

[islandpiper]

Is this him? Squirrel on a stick.   

piper

[Del the cat]

Is this him? 
piper

Yup, that's the fellah!
Del