no set bucket of rocks tiller, very technical ,,photos preview added

[sleek]

The Buffalo Bow Flex! Move over Chuck Norris, you dont know nuthin about this!

[Hawkdancer]

This is an informative, fun thread!  I see a problem with the bucket method, i.e. Plastics deteriorate in sunlight, therefore, the bucket should be metal, which can rust in water!  There's a hole in the bucket, Dear Lisa! A hole!! 
Giff,  send smoke signals, attaching pictures isn't too much harder?  Most of us old guys are about that advanced!
The good thing about rocks is you can use them to line the fire pit for heat treating flint and still load them into the bucket for tillering and weight training.  However, be careful, and don't drop it on your foot.  That smarts!   I will make a tillering tree when I get to that point, just don't have anything to attach it to, except maybe my trailer hitch!   May not look to cool going down the road, though!
Hawkdancer

[Stick Bender]

Very cool looking organic look bow I have a adjustable dumb bell on a pulley that I put on my pully system that does about the same thing hey Brad does it have to be a Home Depot bucket ? 🤡

[George Tsoukalas]

I have a dumbell on my pulley system too, LOL....me.
Jawge

[bradsmith2010]

wouldnt a rock work better than the dumbell and be more primitive too,,

[Stick Bender]

That was good Jawge you made me laugh I guess I have 2 dumbbells on mine 

[bradsmith2010]

58# @ 26( miss the weight,, but gonna pull it to 27 and see what it is)
bout 60 nock to nock
hold 1 inch reflex
shoots nice,, I gonna sand it put handle maybe rawhide back,,

[bradsmith2010]

heres the technical stuff,,,,
ok you can see where I started, the bow was holding a bit more reflex,,
so even though its holding 1 inch reflex now,, and does not follow the string,, it did take some set,,
1  sooo,, either I was not careful enough on the tiller
2 or the target weight was a bit high
3 or not enough wood,, mass to hold that draw and weight
4 or I should have listen to badger and dropped the wieght when I thought the bow was taking some set,,or kept the draw a bit shorter,,
5... the main problem is I had a draw and weight in mind,, and I let that bias what the bow would do,,
I still have a nice shooting bow,, but if I had been more careful,, I think I could have had a harder shooting bow at a little lighter weight or less draw,,
6 i will shoot it through the chrono and that will give me a better idea how I could have improved or fine tuned the design,,

[upstatenybowyer]

Woulda, coulda, shoulda... it sounds like a success to me! Thanks for keeping us up to date with your thinking around using the no set approach. And yes, maybe you could have done better, but can't we always? That's what gets us moving on to the next one! 

[bradsmith2010]

Upstate you are right about that, it is infinitely challenging and rewarding,,I am happy,, but will try to be more mindful on the next one,, I get so excited to shoot it , ,that sometimes I am not patient,,

[DuBois]

Hey there Brad,
Is that how them fancy city slickers do it over in Bugtussle?? Always comin up with some new fangled contraption.
I might have to step into the 20th century and give that a go 

[George Tsoukalas]

Good job, Brad.
That bow rocks!
Jawge

[BowEd]

I tell ya that George is a hoot!!!Keep it up!!!Life is good heh? George.
That did'nt take long Brad.I like it,but where's the full draw??I know you got in a hurry again right?

[lebhuntfish]

Just read through this thread,  I couldn't help but smile with almost every post.
Great job on the bow! I've worked a couple that looked like that.  Most of the time they are as tough as the bucket of rocks! 

Patrick

[Philipp A]

Hi Brad,

I like your bucket method since (at least for me) it is hard to not overdraw past your target weight on the tillering stick with the scale. I could see myself using this method purely to check the weight verses draw length and continue to use the tillering stick for checking the tiller. I can then pull it slightly below the target weight once I know what the exact distance of that is (when the bucket lifts off the ground).

Cheers,

Phil