Shop tips and shortcuts

[Roger]

I didn't see a proper place to post this other than here. Maybe some of us can give insite to some up and comming bowyers that can save them some frustration and possibly money.
Here are some things I've picked up or discovered that have helped me in the crafting of bows:

1) Use a geometric grid of some kind behind your tiller set-up. It will give instant feedback at a glance as to how the bow is bending.( no tiller sticks...LOL)
2) Always make your overall dimensions slightly larger than you want if using power tools and reduce slowly by hand. You'll be glad you did if a tool slips or you make a boo-boo.
3) If your rasps are loading up during use...chalk them and brush with a brass brush.
4) If you use a belt sander...spend the coin and get a dressing/cleaning stick. They extend the life of your sanding belts by two fold.
5) Sanding...I have found that if you use moderate pressure and let the sandpaper do the work, it will go smoother and last longer. Also step down your paper grits gradually. Don't try to remove tool marks with 200 grit paper. It WILL work but you'll use twice as much and rub twice as long.
6) Removing heavy tool marks...A flat bastard mill file will quickly take those guys down and leave a nice surface to sand.
7) When preparing/stitching leather grips. Cut your leather and fold over and glue the top and bottom for a nice rolled edge. Lay artificial sinew or dental floss inside the fold when you glue them down with the excess hanging out of the edges. When you install, just bring up the tags and tie them to line up the top and bottom edges for a neat fit with no holes.
Tip overlays...If you bevel the inboard contact edge before installing you won't gouge the mating surface when sanding after application.
9) Backings... make your backings SLIGHTLY concave with your gooseneck scraper. This will insure a tight seam line at the edges when you apply clamping pressure.

 These tips may not be for everyone and is just one way of doing things...I hope this can be of help to someone trying to make a bow....

Lets get some input from you guru's...I always learn something.

Roger

[Pat B]

Thanks Roger. This is a good post.


...If you find yourself getting agrivated or your mind is wandering, put your tools down and go do something else. Come back when you can concentrate on what you're doing.
...save all your mistakes. As you learn more about building bows these "orphans" are a wealth of knowledge.       Pat

[Badger]

Roger, I would pretty much put you in the category of very knowledeable guys, But I have a question about the backing and concaving, is this mainly when clamps are used or do you also use this method with innertubes, also are you using urac type glues or tightbonds? very good post!  Steve

[Roger]

Steve,
I mostly use Urac for glue ups. On the last one however I used TB with identical prep to the backing. The results have been good so far.
As far as clamps, I use both depending on the application. For straight reflex I just use clamps. For D/R designs, I use a combo of both. I split the bike tubes a wrap "mummy" style, using clamps to secure the blank to the form.
It takes very little scraping to achieve the desired results.

R

[duffontap]

I think one of the most important things a bowyer can do is buy a good wood working vise that will hold a stave still and allow the use of both hands.  With a good vise, you will build more, better bows.

Here's an inexpensive 10" vise that would get the job done:

http://da.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/attributeSearch.do


                 J. D. Duff

[tom sawyer]

When using a bandsaw, you will often find that the blade will lean a bit instead of remaining perfectly perpendicular to the piece.  I think it generally wants to lean away from the saw, it is trying to become circular again and is fighting the guides.  If you aren't careful, you'll cut to the line which you are following on top of the piece, only to find that the cut is either a bit inside, or a bit outside, where you want it on the bottom side.  I've had to deal with a few parallelogram cross sections in my day.

You can minimize the above, by setting your guides as close to the piece as possible.  The closer the guides, the less lean you will get.  The piece has to fit through of course, sodon't cut it too close or a lsightly thicker section might make you have to shut it down and adjust.

Oh and don't eat yellow snow in your shop.

[Fred_Hagell]

I built myself a bench that is a variation of a shaving horse.  The stave can be clamped to the top rail and can be moved along it, allowing you to easily work from one end to the other by sliding the stave under the seat.  Tyler built a similar bench with an angled top rail that is much nicer on the back while working.   I find this preferable to the vice,  you just have to make the belly of the stave somewhat flat and square to the back before it can be clamped.   Fred

[Primitive1]

I know we've had the tillering stick vs tillering tree conversation, however; I use both.  I clamp my bow in a vice (using a towel around the handle so I don't mar the wood) to remove wood with the tillering stick suspended above the handle (though it still rests on it) via machinist wire so it's pretty much hands free and safe.  I then teach the bow to bend on the tree to help it to learn what I'm asking of it and exercise it to see what my wood removal has done.  I go back and forth...
Make a hot box and keep your wood dry.  Put a rheostat and temp gauge in it so you don't over bake it.
Don't bring in 'green' wood from the woods without a dusting of Sevin dust to ensure you don't get a wood borer infestation in your prime collection.
Don't be afraid of screwing up...it happens regardless of how long you've made bows so start removing wood.
Tiller slower on white woods...they're less forgiving of 'tillering rush' than woods such as Osage...
Make a heat gun set up that Marc StLouis posted in PA magazine; saves hand/wrist cramping and allows you to drink beer (or other cold beverages) while you slowly move the device along.
Only use kitchen utensils or gadgetry that the wife has pre-approved.  Cheers, P1.

[huntersim]

Good post Roger.

I see a lot of people pull scrapers.  But you can push one with two hands and have a lot of control. With your thumbs in the backside of the scrapper you can flex it to work a concave surface or for doing some precise work with it. I also round the corners of my scrapers for comfort, and the rounded corners also take the place of a gooseneck scraper.

[Little John]

I dont have much to offer as for shortcuts and tips, but love hearing them.   Kenneth

[Coo-wah-chobee]

Hey Kenneth-What a work ethic-haha-bob

[Pat B]

When I started limiting my tool kit to only a few tools, my bows turned out better. My main tool kit contains a draw knife, a couple of wood rasps(one 4 way, a farriers,  a #49 Nichols{thanks TomB} and a scraper. I still use a band saw to eliminate excess bulk but from floor tiller until the first shot I mainly use a scraper with an occasional hit with a rasp.
   This has slowed down my process but has given my mind a chance to keep up, and for me, that's very important.
   One thing that I don't do enough of is experimenting with "other" woods. For those that do, thanks! If all we had was osage and yew for bows, just think what all of us would be missing. Primitive man used what was available not what everyone told him to use.     Pat

[Badger]

Pat, i think thats good advice, I have really leaned out my tool boxes as well. Even though a moisture meter is not primitive i really recomend getting one if you can afford it, I have had many surprises regarding moisture that were less than desirable. Someone a few years ago posted a primitive moisture meter, it let you know when wood was too damp or dry i think but for the life of me cannot remeber how he did it, anybody here remember, I do know there were not a lot of responses to the thread. Steve

[Primitive1]

I think it was Jim Hamm who mentioned that the weight of the wood would decrease when moisture escapes.  In that light, you could weigh the bow until it stops losing weight and know you're where you need to be.  Is that it?

[GregB]

When making bows from staves, I first layout the front view (view when the bow would be resting on its belly, and looking at it from directly above). We cut out the excess wood using a bandsaw...when cutting along the limbs I cut outside the line with these initial cuts.  After cutting around the front view using this technique, I then layout the fades and limb thickness leaving them on the heavy side which I vary depending on the bow wood and type of bow. When using the band saw to cut out the limb thicknesses, I cut on the outer edge of the line and angle the stave when cutting the limbs to ensure that I'm thick enough on the lower edge that is resting on the bandsaw table. I make four cuts, on along each limb edge, which when finished will leave a crown on the belly. I then remove the majority of the crown carefully with the bandsaw.

At this point I step my way through the rasps, and finally scrappers to get down to my lines. Using the scrappers last ensure that all saw cut marks are removed when you reach your bow layout lines. Then after a session with the roughed in bow on a form for straightening and reflexing,  I'm ready for floor tillering, then using the tillering board to get to brace height, and finally the tillering tree for finishing the tiller.

Greg