Author Topic: Tillering Methods  (Read 5239 times)

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Offline parson

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Tillering Methods
« on: February 03, 2012, 09:02:27 pm »
Curious as to who tillers from fades, or handles out, as opposed to from tips inward?

Are there pros/cons for either?

Thanks

Offline Lone500

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Re: Tillering Methods
« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2012, 09:14:59 pm »
i suppose it could depend on the type of bow your making too.
Leon      Saluda, NC

Offline Dauntless

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Re: Tillering Methods
« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2012, 09:53:20 pm »
I do neither.  Most of the tillering is done just after first bracing to get a proper shape.  After that it's just scraping up the stiffer areas, checking while drawing the bow and shooting in.  Then again I don't aim for a specific draw weight and creep towards it at higher and higher draw lengths.
The starving grad student with too many hobbies.

Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: Tillering Methods
« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2012, 09:54:15 pm »
Fades out. I can't even imagine how I would tiller from tips in. How can you test how she's bending? Jawge
Set Happens!
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Offline Lone500

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Re: Tillering Methods
« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2012, 10:06:13 pm »
I believe this is how you would do it tips in.

http://www.primitiveways.com/bow_tillering.html
Leon      Saluda, NC

Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Tillering Methods
« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2012, 10:23:24 pm »
Im with Jawge on thsi one. In my opinion its all in the taper fella's. If you have a good, even taper out of the vice you can almost bet you could low brace it right then and have 20 minutes of tillering to finish it off. Instead of starting on tips or fades, you simply scrape the few flat spots wherever they are. I have been asked a few times how I get bows done so quickly. A perfect taper out of the vice is the second biggest factor. I dont work fast, that I promise!
Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline Stiks-N-Strings

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Re: Tillering Methods
« Reply #6 on: February 04, 2012, 02:05:35 am »
I'm with Jawge and Pearl. You get a good even taper and just start taking weight off. Took a good bit of breaking to learn how to get a good taper but that is the secret.
learned a great deal many things during my absence the last few years,
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Offline artcher1

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Re: Tillering Methods
« Reply #7 on: February 04, 2012, 10:09:35 am »
Good tapering produces good tillering (Paul Comstock wrote that in his book "The Bent Stick) . Understand that and the rest is pretty much reducing weight.

I go to the short string quickly, and scrape from tips to fades (reduces the chances of cutting the string) to reduce weight with the short string on. Quick, easy and simple ;D!

Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: Tillering Methods
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2012, 10:45:32 am »
I have found over the years that there are many ways to do the same thing. Some bowyers measure everything including limb taper. I've always felt the lack of homogeneity of wood even within the same stave precludes such a technique. Test and bend. Draw and check is what I do. Now I always try to keep an open mind for new ways. People that really know me realize how closed my mind really is and how untrue that last sentence is. LOL. My daughters would smile at that. :) Jawge
Set Happens!
If you ain't breakin' you ain't makin!

Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Tillering Methods
« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2012, 11:03:25 am »
Close minded? You Georgey? Ah Fooey! Never seen it and dont believe it buddy.......;) Would the girls smile at that to?
Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline Matt S.

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Re: Tillering Methods
« Reply #10 on: February 04, 2012, 11:16:18 am »
Have to agree with Pearl and the others, get the thickness taper as close as possible before even bending the limbs. If you did a careful job, chances are most of your "tillering" will be reducing draw weight and touching up a few stiff spots.

Offline artcher1

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Re: Tillering Methods
« Reply #11 on: February 04, 2012, 12:17:45 pm »
Being old and feeble I have to look for the easy-outs George :'(. And my mind does a 180 everytime I turn around >:D.

Offline Pat B

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Re: Tillering Methods
« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2012, 12:47:38 pm »
I'm more like George with his tillering. I try to get and keep the limbs bending evenly and togerther from early on without regard to actual limb taper. From the time of floor tiller with only 4" of tip movement I want the limbs to bend evenly and together. It is hard to see at floor tiller but I give it my best shot. Once I get to low brace I want the limbs as close as possible and work towards that until they do. From there it is a matter of reducing weight but keeping in mind that both limbs still have to bend evenly and together. Once I hit full brace height all I want to do is reduce weight, again keeping both limbs bending evenly and together.
  The limb shape(looking at the back) will have an effect on the bend from the beginning and it is up to the bowyer to finess the tiller to maintain this bend through out the tillering process until he hits the draw weight at the draw length he is in search of. 
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline parson

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Re: Tillering Methods
« Reply #13 on: February 04, 2012, 01:02:59 pm »
All responses appreciated. The people on this site truly are a wealth of information.

Thanks

Offline missilemaster

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Re: Tillering Methods
« Reply #14 on: February 04, 2012, 02:16:01 pm »
this may sound wierd, but I do much of my tillering with my thumb and fore finger! I start at the fades and work my way don the limb to feel for a constant limb thickness taper. If I feel a thick spot  I makit and remove wood there, if I can feel that is thin, I mark no touch on the belly. This method is useful for snakey bows where thickness taper is hard to judge. 
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