D Bows Are Not Easier to Build

[Badger]

   That was a good post. I don't make a lot of elbs but sometimes I do struggle with the shape I want. Last week I made 5 bows to end up with one how I like. One of them took set mid limb, another took set in the handle, another came out light and another had too much mass for my liking.

   If you are blessed with a good eye for tiller you can get away with a little more than those of us who lack the artist eye. I find it is important for me to not only look at the tiller shape but also manage my tapers on the limbs not matter what I think the shape looks like.

    I start off pulling to full draw weight right from the first pull. If the handle area bends too much I know right off the bat I started too thin. So I would say manage your tapers carefully throughout the process as well as keeping an eye on the tiller shape to keep it in ballance.

   As for long string, last week I started off with a string that hungdown 12" with a little tension on it. I got it to 50#@23" with this string, I changed to a shorter string and it read the same thing, I finaly braced it and I was still getting 50#@23". So don't let the long string fool you by thinking you are still far away from your goal because of a loose string.

[bradsmith2010]

Badger, I really like what you said about keeping the taper, ,even if the bow does not "look" right,, 

[Badger]

   Brad, evey bow I wasn't happy with I could see it in the tpers but chose to trust my eye on the tiller instead. The last two both came out pretty good and I cut the tapers into them right from the start and then adjusted them as I went.

[Stick Bender]

Badger did you start your tapers from the center of the bow or did you leave a neutral handle area I'm trying to get these bows right I have stumbled threw 2 of them but trying to figure it out constantly ?

[Badger]

   Stick, I left the center 4" untapered at the rough out stage and then blended them in durring tillering.

[Stick Bender]

Thanks I will try your system on this one I'm working on , sorry Dictionary not trying to Hijack your thread you have been coming up with some awesome topics latley

[Selfbowman]

Has anyone tried or done what appears to be a stiff handle with a shelf that bends? I had one once that you could feel that a bit but I always thought it would one day blow . It did but not in handle but mid limb. Number 7 was its name . My go to bow for years. I will conceded myself a master if I can do this at will. Arvin

[Dictionary]

Arvin, that sounds like a dangerous design!

No problems Stick Bender. I'm glad Badger is sharing his method to making these bows a little easier. It's all about sharing and learning ideas that makes this fun and worthwhile. Now that I go back and look at the taper of my last dbow like Badger suggests, I can see it is a bit thinner by eye than it should be at the handle area.

[SLIMBOB]

Arvin, a few lines from my favorite movie sums up my thoughts on the bow you mentioned.....

Texas Jack: Did you ever see anything like that before?

Turkey Creek Jack Johnson: Hell, I ain't never even heard of anything like that.

[Lumberman]

I have had 3 D bows break all in the bottom fade, one broke last night after being shot in a couple weeks ago, all finished and no tell tale set in the area it broke

[Lumberman]

I think that is a great point about getting the handle bending too early! I have a few close to final tillering stage that I will make sure to try and save the handle for last..

[JonW]

Looks like runouts and square edges got that one.

[mullet]

Has anyone tried or done what appears to be a stiff handle with a shelf that bends? I had one once that you could feel that a bit but I always thought it would one day blow . It did but not in handle but mid limb. Number 7 was its name . My go to bow for years. I will conceded myself a master if I can do this at will. Arvin

I try to make all of my stiff handle bows start to bend at Full Draw. When I feel it, I know to let it go.

[Lumberman]

Runouts weren't the issue but squareness I'll agree

[DuBois]

I like that idea Eddie.

I have been working on developing my sense of feeling the taper by hand and I think this needs a really good lay out of the width first. In the past I found myself working out tool marks along the side edges when pretty much tillered and that could lead to slight variance in width down the limb. I now scrape the edges smooth and sand them before going much past floor tiller and then I know I can trust going more by taper of thickness.

I also have been paying close attention to grain down the belly. I like to follow the rings from one side of the handle area to match it up on the other side and it seems to leave a little thicker island of a ring in the area of the grip. I am coming to believe that nature knows what it is doing when it thickens rings up in one place and down in another and it is trying to tell me to pay attention and follow along.