Selfbow question?

[Bentstick81]

  I have built a few selfbows, and it seems that after shooting a while, the bottom limb always has more set than the top, due to my three fingers under release, i suppose . Do you guys tiller so the bottom limb is stiffer to allow for this? I was going to try this, but was afraid it might cause breakage, handshock, etc...  I even string and unstring the bottom limb, putting the stress on the top limb when stringing. I can't seem to allow enough stiffness on the bottom limb, so when i get it shot in, the limbs are even . Thanks in advance.

[artcher1]

Generally, shooting three under you can get by with less positive tiller. None the less, sounds like you need to beef up your lower limbs.

But, it's not so much about making the lower limb stiffer overall, it's more about WHERE. And that's right outside the lower handle fade/inner third of the limb.

Another good tactic is to stress the lower limb more on the tillering board/tree as you're drawing the bow. Or stressing the lower limb more as you draw/exercising the bow for final positive tiller set........Art

[Del the cat]

As Art' says, when tillering the bow, try to support it where the pressure of your hand will actually be and draw the string back where your fingers will be, this can make it tilt allarmingly at brace and low draw but gives a more accurate picture at full draw. Sometimes you can't exactly simulate a real draw, but it may help you get a feel for whats happening.
On my tiller rig the bow is free to pivot, not clamped solid, this also helps simulate the real life situation. The hook that pulls the string back on my rig is a two pronged one as wide as two fingers to help simulate real life, I have even put a glove over it (just kidding )
Basically if you shoot 3 under, then tiller three under!
Del

[Badger]

  Until fairly recently i alwasy tillered the bow by how I drew the bow back and put the handle sectionas if I were holding it, now i pull the string back on the tiller tree where the arrow will go because I figure once I let go of the string to make a shot I want the tiller to be matched to the arrow. I shoot split finger so it doesn't make all that much difference anyway. Steve

[artcher1]

I can see your thinking there Steve. But it's the "getting back to when you release the arrow" is when the tiller change occurs. All of use use varying degrees of hand pressure, in one form or another. No one certain fix for everybody. But most folks don't realize that hand/heel pressure adds additional strain to the lower fade area which the upper doesn't receive. Unless one learns to apply even stain to both limbs when drawing the bow they should concentrate on beefing up the lower limb somewhat..................Art

[George Tsoukalas]

I have the same problem. I believe Art is correct about heeling the bow and the strain on the lower limb. I try to make the bottom limb stiffer when I can. Jawge

[NTD]

Might help to tiller the last 6 inches with a digital camera and you drawing the bow rather than a tiller tree too...

[George Tsoukalas]

I bring it to full draw on the tree and then make final adjustments in the mirror, in front of a  window at night, and preferably with a digi pic. Nothing really approximates how you draw it. Jawge

[Bentstick81]

 So, actually you are shooting the bow in, with the limbs not in tiller with each other. The bottom limb is stiffer until the bow is shot in? Correct? I never allow enough stiffness on the bottom limb, so that when i get the bow shot in, the bottom always has more set than the top.

[Del the cat]

So, actually you are shooting the bow in, with the limbs not in tiller with each other. The bottom limb is stiffer until the bow is shot in? Correct? I never allow enough stiffness on the bottom limb, so that when i get the bow shot in, the bottom always has more set than the top.

Yeah, but that's hardly a crime, the lower limb often has to bend through a tighter radius and thus does more work and may well take some set.
A bow isn't symetrical, so I wouldn't get upset if a bit of set isn't symetrical, to me a lower limb which is too stiff at brace looks just as bad.
Maybe we all get into overthink a bit sometimes? It's the tillering, it drives us mad ha ha haaaaaa sometimes I even think I'm a human and not a cat .
Del

[Eric Krewson]

I have cut more than a few bottom limbs off and inch or so to get the tiller back wher it is supposed to be. Bottom limbs go weak sometimes, don't know why.

[George Tsoukalas]

1/4 to 1/2 in stiffer at full draw is what I do. Don't worry. Be happy. Make bows in the winter, spring summer and fall. Shoot your bows year round. A little more set on the bottom limb amounts to very little if anything. Jawge

[Steve Milbocker]

I went through the ILF craze for a while. For those that don't know what those are, basically they are a riser that accept Olympic, for the most part recurve limbs. There are some long bow limbs available also. Anyway they are highly adjustable for tiller. I owned many of these risers and scores of limbs and I would hate to guess how many thousands of arrows I shot trying to find the sweet spot as far as tiller was concerned. I always ended up at 0 tiller and I shoot 3 under. The nicest shooting self bow I own was made by Marc StLouis and it is tillered at 0.

[crooketarrow]

    I agree with GEORGE.Personly I don't shoot that good to make a difference. And if you need to be that percise. Build a glass bow. But I've tiller 2 for people that had to have theirs tiller that way. But most I've built for split fingers so I've aways tiller my limbs even.And have never had anyone bring one back that did shoot 3 under saying that the bottom limbs beening to much.
   I f it hapened you would have to be a bowyer or put it back on a tilling board to see it. I would think if you could see it then it was'nt tiller right in the first place. Your surpose be haveing fun, so don't be so tectical.
    REMEMBER WOOD IS WOOD it's surpose to be perfect.


  DEAD IS DEAD NO MATTER HOW FAST YOUR ARROW GETS THERE