Amateur Bowyer lookin for lessons!

[Aelerik]

Hey guys Im new to the awesome (but sometimes very frustrating) art of bowmaking and im having a little trouble. That being I dont know enough from doing it myself to acctually make any progress. Anyway I could read all day about it but I know alot of people out there are visual learners and learn better from experienced teachers. Point being Id like to know if anyone out there has a class or something like a workshop in my area. Please anyone else feel free to post the same question in this forum. I, for example live in Houston, and if theres anyone out there teaching a class to multiple people Id sure appreciate any help.

This was my first bow that I made and I just couldnt seem to get the hinges out as you can see its severely hinged at the ends to the point where whip-ended doesn't begin to even describe it.

[gstoneberg]

Welcome to PA.  If you'd said Dallas I would certainly help you, though I don't normally teach a class with multiple people.  What you're more likely to find is somebody building bows who'd be happy to have to drop by and show you the ropes.  For example, Gary is coming by this morning to work on his bow in my shop.  He lives on the other side of the DFW area so it's an hour or so to my place.  Like all of us, he's busy so he can only get free about once a month to work on his bow.  It's been almost a year since we started  We should shoot the first arrow out of it this morning.  I know he's excited, and so am I.

If you get up this way I would be happy to help.  Good luck, hopefully there's somebody close down there that can help you.

George

[Buckeye Guy]

Welcome to PA !!
The folks on here can talk you thru most any situation you'll come up against, so if you don't find someone close just start posting pictures and we will talk you thru it
That bow looks like a good first try tell us more about it!

Guy

[Tethered Falcon]

I too could use some help, ive got 2 staves in a trade from iowabow who was a very kind man. But i only made one bow and that was 2 years ago at mojam and it faild a week or so later. I am around the Saint louis area specificly St.charles and would love if someone could help me learn the art. 

[Aelerik]

Hey guys thanks alot I appreciate it. That bow is a red oak board bow from Sam Harpers Website. Its 70 inches nock to nock pulls around 50-52 pounds at 29inches. The hand shock in that bow is like shooting a .44 magnum and it stacks like crazy, but being my first bow its what you would expect. It extremely inaccurate, but that might be from either the poorly made sight window or my lack of aim( im stickin with the first choice). Not much else to it. Leather handle wrap and all red oak with sheetrock tape backing. String is b-50 dacron (also my first string made). Quick question though about the tillering tho while I have yall's attention. I've read so much about tillering but I cant seem to figure out how to remove a hinge without ruining the bow. Im on my 4th bow now and I have an absolutely perfect bend in the bottom limb, but the top is hinging like crazy near the nock. Im afraid if I remove any more wood around the hinge it will just bend to much. Any tips are welcome and thanks again for the warm welcome.

[lowell]

I'm sure someone better than me will chime in but to get rid of a hinged area you have to take wood away from where the limb is not bending.  Stay away from the hinge!!

 You may loose poundage but better to have a lighter bow that bends nice and you have learned from than one that is likely to fail soon.

  Just read all you can here and it will come to you....watch the "tiller check" topics...they help me a lot!!

[gstoneberg]

Getting a hinge is usually a function of tillering too fast (removing too much wood at one time), or not exercising the bow enough after removing wood.  If you don't catch it early enough it nearly always results in low draw weight.  I just did it on one of mine which is embarrassing given how long I've been making bows.  Always pull the bow 30 times or so each time you remove wood.  It will seem very slow going, but it is the best way to avoid hinges.

Check out Jawge's web site, lots of excellent info there.  http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/

To answer your question, lowell is right, remove wood other parts of the limb leaving the hinge area alone.  Once you get a hinge, the draw weight will drop until the limb bends correctly.  It literally defines how much weight the finished bow will be.  That's why it is so important to avoid them.  Get the limbs bending well from the beginning and much heartache is avoided.

George

[Eric Krewson]

You need a tillering gizmo to keep you from hinging limbs,

Here is how to make one.

http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001047#000000

[hillbilly61]

You need a tillering gizmo to keep you from hinging limbs,

Here is how to make one.

http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001047#000000

This will help 100%

[bubby]

actually the tillering gizmo is #2 on our own how-to's-build-a-long

[Aelerik]

Well looks like I have another project this weekend