Tillering Tools

[gfugal]

So I want a better tool for tillering between the stage after roughing out a bow's shape but before bracing it (the floor tillering and long string stage). I currently use a coarse rasp but it goes a little too slowly for my liking. I'm afraid to use the draw knife out of fear of messing up my bow. I've never used a scraper but to me it seems like it would remove wood at a slower rate than the coarse rasp. What options do I have other than enduring the pace of the rasp, or practicing my draw knife skills on my stave and risk ruining it? Is there such a thing or is it merely a pipe dream?

[DC]

A coarser rasp?

[bushboy]

 Shinto saw rasp and a set of scrapers!

[jeffp51]

I use a draw knife until it just starts bending--any more and I would also be afraid of taking off too much too fast.  after that, I use a scraper almost exclusively--enjoy the slow process.  I mess up very few bows overtillering

[PEARL DRUMS]

Band saw to farriers rasp to Shinto to scraper. I never, ever, ever use a draw knife on the belly. Sure it takes me longer and its probably more arm work, but guess how many times I've ripped a belly out with my draw knife? Not to say it doesn't work, I've seen it first hand, it works very good. But its just not my style.

Patience builds a better bow.

[Pat B]

After floor tiller I use only a scraper.

[gfugal]

3riversarchery.com/ubr10-dean-torges-bowmaking-rasp.html
That's the rasp I currently use (pictured below). Is there a rougher one out there that would work significantly better at this stage? I'm happy with how it works after the floor tiller stage, just would like something faster before.

Jeff what do you consider bending? Like the tips moving several inches (like 3-5) or just any movement at all (1 or fewer inches)?

Yeah, Pearl, it may be that I just need to hone my tool of patience. Haha

[gfugal]

For those who use scrapers what do you like about them, and how often do you need to sharpen them? Like I said before, I haven't gotten one yet because i'm happy with the rasp's pace after brace and don't feel like I need to move slower. And I'm also hesitent because I imagine they need to be re-sharpenend all the time and I'm not sure if I want to Hassel with that. But maybe it's worth it or easier than I think.

[DC]

Have you tried a farriers rasp? I can't tell by looking at your picture but a farriers rasp is coarser than any other rasp I've seen. About half my bows are Ocean Spray(read hard, hard, hard) and the farriers rasp just eats it up.

[DC]

I made a copy(sort of) of Torges  Bowyers Edge. It's easy to sharpen and cuts halfway between a spoke shave and a cabinet scraper. It's what I use after the farriers rasp.

[George Tsoukalas]

Sorry. There's is no such  thing as going to slow.
Hatchet to draw knife to bench belt sander to surform.
After stringing I use a push knife as a scraper. I've also use my draw knife as a scraper.
That's it.
Jawge

[osage outlaw]

Band saw to farriers rasp to Shinto to scraper. I never, ever, ever use a draw knife on the belly. Sure it takes me longer and its probably more arm work, but guess how many times I've ripped a belly out with my draw knife?

Patience builds a better bow.

I do the same tool process as Pearly.  I make my own scrapers out of large band saw blades.  I round all the corners and roll a burr on both edges all the way around the scraper.  If you have good steel and know how to properly roll a burr they last for a long time.  My scraper is over a year old and it still cuts like new.

[Eric Krewson]

When I go to the long string it is scrapers followed by sandpaper on an orbital sander. It is too easy to goof up a bow by using something that cuts faster. I have been making them for 20 years and remember the ones I ruined by getting too agressive on the tillering. In my early days the top limb would become my bottom limb and vice versa all too often because I tried to go too fast.

I had a friend now dead, who told me he had tried to make about 50 bows and broken every one without making a shooter. He came over to show me how he made bows, I turned my back on him after giving him a fine osage stave and heard him cursing. He ruined the stave in less than 5 minutes by trying to thin his fade on a belt sander and going almost through to the back.

His initial take was he wanted to have a shooter in one day and went at it like a house on fire.

I showed him what to use and when to use it, no belt sanders. He made dozens of bows after he slowed down and almost all were shooters.

Unless you are very experienced lay off the agressive cutting tools. I would rather spend a few days tillering bow than end up with a bunch of kiddie bows made from what I goofed up. 

[PatM]

Are you using the rasp to reduce the whole width and keep it flat? You need to use at least a modified facet approach to reduce things a bit faster.
  Also make sure you can actually place both hands on each end of the rasp and bear down a little.  Many people don't have the wrist strength to rasp with one hand effectively.

[SLIMBOB]

I do use my draw knife on the belly.  Not always but some.  When I do I turn it 180 degrees from normal, meaning bevel down for me.  Then I turn the blade edge close to 90 degrees or even more, from the belly face.  It works more like a scraper, shaving off little ribbons of wood on the high spots.  I find this ideal for Osage but much less useful on white woods.  It gouges to deeply, and far to much chattering, so a scraper on those.