Front profile

[SLIMBOB]

Just as an admission...I do tend to believe that best practice is to have the tiller shape match the profile, but...I am free to follow the practice, or disregard it entirely. And I do disregard it.....66 inch “Knotty Boy”  from a few years ago. Parallel through the middle 2/3’s. Bendy handle. Should have an elliptical (for lack of a better term) tiller shape. With all the knots, I felt it needed the bend equal at the handle to spread the load. So I tillered it circular despite the profile. I believe that was the right call as it remains my favorite bow for all kinds of reasons. We can make them however we feel we need to make them. Hope that tidies things up with Del. 😇

[bradsmith2010]

SLIMBOB,,you are right,, it was totally my turn,, but somehow I think DC tricked me into a pyramid bow discussion,,
and of course all bows are a little pyramid,,cuase they narrow at the tips,, right,,

[SLIMBOB]

Bows?  I thought we were discussing architecture.

[DC]

I've always made my bows tapered from the fades to the tip(just to distinquish it from Dels). I would call them spear shaped. There is taper all the way down but not even taper. That's just looked right to me. I only started leaving the outers a little wider when I was recurving them. It seemed to make them a little more stable. As for tiller, I have this hazy picture in my brain of what a nice bend is and I just try to make that. It's just somewhere between bending too much in the fades and whip tillered. As long as both sides are the same I'm happy.

[airkah]

I think the reason that there does not seem to be a consensus in this thread on what the best profile is, is because it doesn't exist. I don't believe that there is one layout that is the best in all situations. For a bow to maximize its potential for its intended purpose, the wood, layout and tiller need to compliment eachother. Sometimes it may mean keeping the bow wider in the inner limbs to avoid taking set when they are under a lot of strain and tapering down to avoid a sluggish bow. For another design, wide inner limbs may not be necessary and a parallel limb will give you a better performing bow. Its all a balance between aesthetics, performance and durability.

And if I'm wrong and there is one profile that is best in all situations, I hope we never prove it, it would get pretty boring seeing everyone make the same thing in different lengths over and over. 

[Del the cat]

whatever you do...
Never make a bow wider than the stave 
Del

[Rākau]

  I'm with Del, haha imaginary width won't  do squat  Imaginary friends on the other hand. . .

[bjrogg]

I think the reason that there does not seem to be a consensus in this thread on what the best profile is, is because it doesn't exist. I don't believe that there is one layout that is the best in all situations. For a bow to maximize its potential for its intended purpose, the wood, layout and tiller need to compliment eachother. Sometimes it may mean keeping the bow wider in the inner limbs to avoid taking set when they are under a lot of strain and tapering down to avoid a sluggish bow. For another design, wide inner limbs may not be necessary and a parallel limb will give you a better performing bow. Its all a balance between aesthetics, performance and durability.

And if I'm wrong and there is one profile that is best in all situations, I hope we never prove it, it would get pretty boring seeing everyone make the same thing in different lengths over and over. 

I think you do have worthy contributions airkha. That quote pretty much sums up my feelings. I often times make my front profile using what my piece of wood will give me. Del's bow might be exaggerated but I have a few that start out slightly narrower than I'd prefer and then get a little wider. I have lots that go around knots.  I honestly have never made a pyramid bow. I don't know why. Just haven't. Like DC said I have a fuzzy idea what a tiller should look like in my head. Not sure it's the best tiller or if it matches the front profile. It has changed over the years. It seems to work for me.
Bjrogg
PS variety is the spice of life. It's what keeps this so interesting.

[bjrogg]

I think the reason that there does not seem to be a consensus in this thread on what the best profile is, is because it doesn't exist. I don't believe that there is one layout that is the best in all situations. For a bow to maximize its potential for its intended purpose, the wood, layout and tiller need to compliment eachother. Sometimes it may mean keeping the bow wider in the inner limbs to avoid taking set when they are under a lot of strain and tapering down to avoid a sluggish bow. For another design, wide inner limbs may not be necessary and a parallel limb will give you a better performing bow. Its all a balance between aesthetics, performance and durability.

And if I'm wrong and there is one profile that is best in all situations, I hope we never prove it, it would get pretty boring seeing everyone make the same thing in different lengths over and over. 

[bjrogg]

Sorry don't know what happened there.
Bjrogg

[SLIMBOB]

In the immortal words of “Bear Claw” on Jeremiah Johnson, ”....Seen it right off”.

[airkah]

 the next bowyers bible edition really needs del to write a chapter on the pitfalls of using imaginary wood in a front profile

[SLIMBOB]

I like your attitude!

[bradsmith2010]

ok then its settled ,, pyramid is the best,, 

[willie]

I've always made my bows tapered from the fades to the tip(just to distinquish it from Dels). I would call them spear shaped. There is taper all the way down but not even taper. That's just looked right to me. I only started leaving the outers a little wider when I was recurving them. It seemed to make them a little more stable. As for tiller, I have this hazy picture in my brain of what a nice bend is and I just try to make that. It's just somewhere between bending too much in the fades and whip tillered. As long as both sides are the same I'm happy.

a lot of the old discussion about a particular width shape calling for a particular bend (elliptical or circular, etc) presumes you are desiring the limb to have equal strain throughout its length.

of course, we often find reasons to want stiffer (less strained) handle areas or tips, so we should rephrase DC's opening question to the "shape vs bend" for the working part of the limb.

If for instance, one were to build a bow with a very short working limb, then keeping that working area of the limb strained equally becomes more critical, and if the tapering in that area is in thickness, then the bend radius of that working area needs to show a proportional increase as the limb thins.