Just wondered

[OTDEAN]

Anyone out there just floor tiller until brace and then stand on string and just pull bow in the middle to see how the limbs bend?   Just wondered if anyone uses this technique to successfully tiller their bows before I try it.

[Jim Davis]

I floor tiller till brace, then look at the limb curves and thin the stiff spots. When it looks pretty good at brace, I put it on my tillering post and proceed as most do.

[joachimM]

Why would you want to that for?
second, how would you see the bow bend if you're standing above it?

[OTDEAN]

I have seen people tiller this way once braced and wondered how wide spread it is.  You can see how the bow is bending actually quite easily if you look down while pulling the bow up.  Stiff spots are quite obvious when you see the areas where it is not bending enough.

I would like to try this as I would like to make a bow free hand without any aids such as tiller stick or tiller tree.

[huisme]

I go straight from floor tiller to low brace and do my tillering by brace profile and looking down the limbs during short draws, then I monitor set as I approach target draw.

[PlanB]

huisme, how do you personally monitor set as you approach full draw? Thanks.

[PatM]

I have put the  bow on the ground (cushioned) and pulled up on the string. Place a mirror and you can see the bend fine.

[bradsmith2010]

yes I do that,, when first braced,, but I put on a tree too,, and look in a mirror as well,, 

[bradsmith2010]

I think most monitor set by looking at the unbraced profile,, if this is changing in a way that indicates too much set in one or more parts of the bow,, it is key to further wood removal,, if the bow is taking minimal set where you expect it too,, relative to the design,, your tiller is going well and indicates the bow is evenly stressed

[huisme]

Exactly what Brad said, it's mostly to confirm the viability of the design and where I've let it bend more or less; if I'm seeing more set in one spot than another I know where I need to avoid scraping next session-- but that's after I've established a good braced/unbraced profile.

[mikekeswick]

If you learn to monitor set properly you can make any bow design in the World. I don't know why it isn't talked about more. After all the wood is NEVER wrong!

[dragonman]

yes I often do this in front of a mirror on the ground,  it works well I think, just my own idea didnt know others do it

[Springbuck]

  Yeah, I've done about everything once.. I used to have a long string with cups on the ends just for this kind of stuff.  It's easy to pull it too far, though.

 I have trouble with floor tillering, so sometimes I put my foot on my bendch, brace the handle on my knee, reach out as far as I can on the limbs and pull back like I'm rowing.  Works ok.

[simson]

Anyone out there just floor tiller until brace and then stand on string and just pull bow in the middle to see how the limbs bend?   Just wondered if anyone uses this technique to successfully tiller their bows before I try it.

nope,
I hang the string in the vice and pull the bow horizontally. You can clearly watch the limbs bending and you have one free hand, which can be laid onto the limbs and feel bending/non bending areas.