Hickory board bow

[mmattockx]

here are the adjustments based on the comments
The first shows the step cutt method to remove waste
The second shows the end result after smoothing

You posted while I was doing the same. That looks pretty decent as a starting point. Are the limbs starting to bend yet at that thickness? The limbs of a 40lb bow are surprisingly flexible if you do a floor tiller test bend. If you need a lot of force to move them then they are still too thick.


Mark

[chasonhayes]

Thanks. What dimensions should I use to achieve a 50lb draw weight with hickory pyramid design?
What draw length should I use?
My wingspan is 71" tip to tip
From the thumb webspace to midline is 30"

[chasonhayes]

here is the first tiller. It looks like I have some string follow. suggestions please?

[mmattockx]

Thanks. What dimensions should I use to achieve a 50lb draw weight with hickory pyramid design?
What draw length should I use?
My wingspan is 71" tip to tip
From the thumb webspace to midline is 30"

You should get 50lb out of the 2" width, but probably with some set involved. I would suggest a length of 66"-68" nock to nock for a 28" draw. Longer is more forgiving to make and shoot.

Have you ever shot a traditional bow before? If not, 50lb is way too heavy for a beginner. There are online draw length calculators but they are only approximate. The only way to know for sure is to draw a bow (preferably light weight so you aren't fighting it) and measure. If your draw is over 28" I would suggest adding a couple inches to the bow length to be on the safe side.

here is the first tiller. It looks like I have some string follow. suggestions please?

If you are taking set then you have already pulled it too far at that thickness and draw weight. I see you have a bow scale. You want to use it while tillering and never draw the bow past your target weight while tillering it out. Only pull to your target weight, then remove material to get it to pull farther before you hit your target weight again. Rinse and repeat until you get to your target draw length and weight. If the bow is taking set and you haven't hit your target weight then it is never going to get there and you need to adjust your target weight down some and start working towards that.

The pictures have some distortion in them, but it looks not bad in the first pic. Maybe a bit stiff out of the fades and on the outer 1/3 of the limb, but not terrible. The right limb looks to be bending more mid-limb than the left.


Mark

[Nasr]

It’s hard to tell how the tiller is with those photos. As was said above the distortion makes it hard to judge. The right outer limb seems stiff though but can be certain.

[chasonhayes]

Here is a better shot of the tiller.
My next question is how do I match arrows to it for backyard target shooting?
What if i were to put recurve tips on it? Would that make it better?
This bow is a learning experience for me and not going to last very long for sure but i want to get the most out of it as I can.

[mmattockx]

That looks to be doing all of its bending right out of the fades. I would take wood off both limbs from maybe 5-6" out of the fades to the tips. The left limb especially is looking stiff from mid to tip. Don't touch anything near the fades until the rest of the limbs are bending more or you will have a hinge going there. Recurving the tips adds more stress and is harder to tiller, I wouldn't recommend it until you have successfully made a few bows and have a better feel for tillering.


Mark

[Deerhunter21]

yeah i agree with MMattockx, dont touch the fades again until the rest of the bow is bending with it.

i would wait on recurves, i just made one and it was fun, but it wasn't as great (or as easy) as I made it out to be in my head. 

Excited to see your progress!!!