tillering reflexed staves

[willie]

Lots of good information on the threads about how much and where to place the reflex in a limb, so I thought I would ask about the tillering challenges.

I have a couple of staves that I have roughed out that have developed nice reflex upon drying. I had put them aside until I my skills improve. Now I am itching to put one on the tillering tree and see what happens. All's I know from reading these threads is that they are trickier, and not to be fooled by early weight. Can anyone pass along any tips for tillering reflexed limbs, or give me a heads up about the "gotchas"?

thanks
willie

[PEARL DRUMS]

Willie do you floor tiller your straight bows? If so, do the same exact thing with a reflexed bow. Make it bend evenly on the floor. Just the same as a straight limbed bow. If done right, the reflex will bend evenly and return back to its reflexed shape. Just like a straight limbed bow does.

[Pat B]

Willie, getting the reflexed stave from it's reflexed position to flat is where most folks screw up. Once you start bending behind the handle it is just like tillering a straight stave. Getting the limbs to that point with plenty of weight to loose is critical.  Be sure your long string is as short as possible so it pulls the tips at a closer angle to the brace bow; down and inward instead of just down. The smoother the reflex the easier it will be to tiller. I try to get both limbs as even as possible off the form so they pull and bend similar while tillering.

[willie]

Pearl,
yes , I floor tiller and compare the stave I am working on to similar bends on a finished a bow. I also measure deflection on the tiller tree with known weights , both with the the stave and a finished bow. I just don't know how much extra weight to allow for reflexed bows.

 Does a stave with an even rocker full length thru the handle act the same as one that is reflexed just at the tips?

[SLIMBOB]

Look in TBB1.  "Bow Design and Performance".  Baker has a bunch of FD charts comparing bows of different profiles with the same weights.  Should give you a range of comparisons for different draw lengths.