Main Boards > The Bowyer's Bench

Taking a set

(1/4) > >>

stringstretcher:
Being fairly new to selfbow making, I am sure I have or am doing things that can be done in a better way to stop my bows from following the string so much.  Most all of the ones that I have made, which are of the D bow design, have at least 2" of string follow.  I thought I was taking my time, working the wood good, but still get more string follow than I would like to have.  Just had one that had a little propellar twist and about 2 1/2 inches of set.  We heated it, and I re tillered it, and after shooting it in for a while, it came back with 2" of set after we had put about 2" of reflex in it.  

How about some suggestions, how to's on how you work your wood to get the leat amout of string follow.  Any suggestions would be very very helpful to us all

Jeremy:
Go very slowly when tillering, never pulling the bow beyond it's intended draw weight or never farther than when you can see it's not bending correctly.  That's about it.

Make sure your stave is dry.  Make sure the bow is laid out correctly for the type of wood you're using - ie a deep-cored narrow red oak bow is going to take a bunch of set.

2" of set from a straight stave isn't bad.  If you're going from boards that's pretty dang good.

John Scifres:
More details on design and wood are needed.  Set is difficult to correct afterwards.  The damage is usually done.  Good design, good wood, careful tillering will all help to minimize compression damage but it is inevitable in an efficient bow.  I always assume about 2" of set from my starting profile.  

You can make a bow way overbuilt but then you lose the efficiency you gain.  The trick is balance.

elkslayer:
Try a reflex deflex bend at glue up if you are doing a boo backed bow and they have 0 string follow. I think your at the mersey of the wood and what it wants to be on self bows. Find a stave that has lots of reflex in it at the beginning and work it. I find that 2" of felex will be a flat bow once shot in.

ChristopherO:
Elkslayer,
The R/D design may have 0 string follow but they will still take a set.  I know, I am finishing up my latest R/D boo backed project.  
On a self bow, as he mentioned above, there isn't a option for a glue up.
Some folks heat treat before tillering to keep set to a minimum.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page