Author Topic: my tillering (Controversial, to be condemned, dangerous!) (Read 4622 times)

Jim Davis · « **Reply #15 on:** January 22, 2018, 09:33:35 pm »

Quote from: Traxx on January 22, 2018, 08:53:42 pm

I could be wrong,,but how i interpreted this was...Dont over complicate things..

Works for me:)

Hawkdancer · « **Reply #16 on:** January 23, 2018, 12:49:26 am »

Lol! H'll's bells! My limbs are stiff all the time and I have yet to take a bow to tillering stage!

I'm getting close, though -got a slight bend on my first floor tiller!

. That bow is pretty darn good!
Hawkdancer

Hawkdancer · « **Reply #17 on:** January 23, 2018, 12:59:53 am »

Btw, I found out my Buck Hunting knife is as good a scraper as my Garlick's! Got plenty of tinder for the fire drill when I get to that project

. The bow guy is the only one scraping! Thanks for all the info, guys! And gals!
Hawkdancer

leonwood · « **Reply #18 on:** January 23, 2018, 06:39:24 am »

I guess there is a little difference in people who make bows because they want/need a bow to shoot, and people who make bows because they enjoy the work that goes into it.
Both are still bowyers and artists to me

joachimM · « **Reply #19 on:** January 23, 2018, 09:34:43 am »

That's exactly my approach to bow making as well. I don't care about making beautiful bows, I want something that shoots hard, fast and true. And then make a new and better bow, still.
Some of my preferred bows still have some tool marks on them, I never bothered to sand them and decorate them. They shoot fine and have the right feel for me. No trinkets, just the bare essentials.

Not the style of many bowyers here, but it works for me

hoosierf · « **Reply #20 on:** January 23, 2018, 09:46:21 am »

I do what Joachim does. I’ll just linseed and wax a successful bow. I like them a little rustic but mainly I am concerned about good cast and durability. One reason i like doing it this way is that i shoot them a bunch to confirm it’s a good bow. Then if i want to gift it to someone i sand it nice and dress it up. I always have a half dozen sitting around that i can get into giftable shape in an hour.

ohma2 · « **Reply #21 on:** January 23, 2018, 09:56:44 am »

I agree with alot of what was wrote here but in the end i am more a shooter and i agree with what patB said if it works for you thats all that matters.

DC · « **Reply #22 on:** January 23, 2018, 11:29:52 am »

Quote from: Hawkdancer on January 23, 2018, 12:49:26 am

Lol! H'll's bells! My limbs are stiff all the time

That's old age, happens to me too.

Hawkdancer · « **Reply #23 on:** January 23, 2018, 12:30:08 pm »

Age maybe, too much wear and tear, too many mountains to pack up and down -but not old! Old is 40 years older than we're ever going to be

. I think I got a bunch more bows to make!

Hawkdancer

Weylin · « **Reply #24 on:** January 23, 2018, 01:06:36 pm »

I don't do longstring tillering anymore either. I get a good taper started, start floor tillering and checking the taper with my fingers as I go along. Then I go right to brace and I'm usually close enough to a good tiller or spot on at first brace.

Springbuck · « **Reply #25 on:** February 10, 2018, 06:16:18 pm »

I think you are right, Jim.

I used to basically never make the same bow twice, so needed several systems that I used to keep my ADHD in check. Just stuff like in the TBB where you reduce limb weight by "one pass with the rasp, one pass with the scraper" for controlled, systematic reduction. I adapt that here and there for things like systematic tapering,. and I teach those to new guys when I can.

As I've made and screwed up a ton of bows over the past 15 years, I just know what I'm looking at better, know where that devil in the details is hiding, and I'm not as reliant on the systems, more on feel and look, and what I already know about X wood specie or Y style of bow.

However, I will continue to preach the "spring-scale" method of hitting desired draw weight, where you never pull the bow past the desired weight at any increment of draw. I get there a lot faster these days, but that method has kept me from making ANY 30 lb bows since I started using it, unless I wanted to.

George Tsoukalas · « **Reply #26 on:** February 10, 2018, 07:17:11 pm »

"...the path is as important as the destination."

Jim, for me the path is the destination.

Jawge

Jim Davis · « **Reply #27 on:** February 10, 2018, 09:27:03 pm »

Just finished a 10#, a 15# and a 25# for a boy and his dad. Boy will try both light bows and see which he should start with. The journey was just to get them shooting, as far as I'm concerned, but I made the bows look nice too.

The 10# Osage takedown has a lot of reflex. The 15# is hickory, and the 25# is an Osage takedown. Small arrows are hickory to resist breakage. Large arrows are spruce.

Badger · « **Reply #28 on:** February 10, 2018, 09:36:48 pm »

That is really a nice set, father son sets are actually pretty popular.

Badger · « **Reply #29 on:** February 10, 2018, 10:28:41 pm »

Jim, I just got a message from a lady who needs a 12# bow, I am more concerned about what kind of arrows she will need. 5' 4" so I am thinking 24" arrows.

Primitive Archer