Which limb is up?

[ShinneryOak]

I've seen this discussed a lot but it never made sense to my poor pea-sized brain. Why would you tiller the bottom limb stiffer if you are putting more strain on the TOP limb by pulling from a nock point a couple inches above center?? The way I think of it, if you were to pull from halfway up the top limb, it would certainly be more strained than the bottom limb.. that's why you pull it at dead center on the tiller tree.  From recent threads I gather it doesn't matter too much anyway. Thanks for your kindness to the mechanically impaired.

[artcher1]

I've seen this discussed a lot but it never made sense to my poor pea-sized brain. Why would you tiller the bottom limb stiffer if you are putting more strain on the TOP limb by pulling from a nock point a couple inches above center?? The way I think of it, if you were to pull from halfway up the top limb, it would certainly be more strained than the bottom limb.. that's why you pull it at dead center on the tiller tree.  From recent threads I gather it doesn't matter too much anyway. Thanks for your kindness to the mechanically impaired.

 

The object of this game is to strain both limbs evenly. With the drawing hand above the bow hand it'll take a certain amount of heel/hand pressure to counter the force applied to the string to achieve even limb strain.

You should only pull your bow on the tillering tree from center if your shooting three under IMO.........Art

[ShinneryOak]

Artcher, I was just throwing out a hypothetical idea when I talked about pulling from half way up. So if you tiller by pulling from the arrow nock point (above center) and the tips end up even, is the bottom limb weaker?

[artcher1]

I'm sorry ShinneryOak, I knew you where just using that as an example. It's really hard somethings to get ones meaning across without being misconstrued .

Are you talking about pulling on a tillering tree/board? If so, then what happens here is that you're basically shortening the bending radius of the upper limb. Then when you go to shoot your bow you have to place your bow hand below to point where you were pulling on the tree. And now the lower limb receives the tighter bend or greater stress. If you haven't, at this point compensated for the greater stress, then yes, your lower limb will become weaker...........Art

[Et_tu_brute]

In most cases the bottom limb of the bow will be shorter than the top limb, so if you tiller evenly less wood in the bottom limb is doing the same amount of bending as more wood in the top limb thus putting it under more strain. Due to this most people create a positive tiller when making the bow in which the top limb bends a little more, which evens out the strains on the limbs.

[ShinneryOak]

Artcher, Thanks, yes I meant doing all the tillering by pulling it on the tree at the intended nock point - versus tillering by pulling at the dead center of the bow. Then even if you did it the first way you have to compensate because of moving your hand further down when shooting?

[artcher1]

Think of it like this ShinneryOak, if your lower limb is going to be under more stress when you're  actually shooting the bow then your tillering board method should reflect that as close as possible. I know this goes against conventional wisdom ,but don't you think by moving your string hook down to the other side of your handle that this would more closely match your hand drawn profile?

Personally, I don't set my tiller on the tree. Rather I start just as soon as I can get a short string on and feel my way back to my intended draw length. Using the proper grip for my layout I'm looking for evenly strained limbs at full draw. This in itself will set the proper positive tiller I will need. If I had to do this just on the tillering tree then I must know (by measuring each side of the fades) just how much positive tiller to add for good long term tiller health. That comes from experience............Art

[ShinneryOak]

 Art-Agree it makes sense to start from the point you'll be drawing the bow, just don't think I've seen it mentioned before.
Et Tu- Do you mean the lower limb ends up shorter because of where the bow hand is placed.. or starting with uneven limb lengths?

[Et_tu_brute]

I meant starting with uneven limb lengths, when laying out the handle sections most people (myself included) seem to mark the centre, move an inch up for the top of the handle and 3" down for the bottom of the handle, making the lower limb 2" shorter than the top.

[Pappy]

I don't ,I lay them out the same length. center of stave is center of bow. I know some do but I wouldn't say most.  I will sometimes cut the bottom limb off because of a problem I then re ajust the tiller.I tiller most of mine with about 3/8 pos.[Bottom limb stiffer]  and usually have the bow in the center of the tiller tree. As long as it don't look all out of wack at brace and pulls smooth and even to full draw  and most important shoots good I don't worry to much about it.
   Pappy   

[Et_tu_brute]

That's fair enough, I guess my view is perhaps a little skewed from making ELBs all the time (and being English)

[Pappy]

I'm sorry. I am from English decent,The Baggett family is crested for taking care of the King's goat heard for several hundered years back in the 1400/1500. Not try to hijack the thread just had to confess. Cool crest tho,2 goat heads on either side at the top.
   Pappy