So I started my first bow following some directions on line. Selected a red oak board and went to town....lots of reading hear has got me to this point. Seems my limbs are still a little too stiff. This is with a loose cord that really gets no brace height to it even if its strung tight. Cord has some stretch properties to it. It's 67" knock to knock. The limbs are 3/4 of an inch thick near the risers thinning to a half inch about midway to the tip. Too thick? Have it pulled to 21". (http://%20%20http://m.flickr.com/lightbox?id=6338353287) thinking the limb on the right is stiffer than the one on the left.
The link is not showing up, and when I click on it, it just goes to a blank page
Link shows for me. I think it looks good so far but the whole thing is too stiff to see much right now since it's not being pulled to it's brace height yet. I say so far so good though. Try the tillering gizmo (search for it in TG) it really works wonders and I won't do without one now. Take it slow and it will come out fine. Most people (self included) make their first bow too light by mistake. Usually happens while fixing a mistake made on one limb and chasing the problem right into the other limb to even it all out. Get a fish scale from somewhere and try not to pull it much past your desired weight.
Sweet. My draw length is about 24 and a half. Makes me wonder why my arms are so short. Anyway after looking at dozens of tiller photos I can start to see when its to stiff etc. Thanks for looking and any advice. I would like to have my first bow as a keeper rather than a lesson learned. Would it be easier to hit 50 or so # at 24 or 25 than it would be at 28"? I'm taking it super slow and not being to aggressive with it. Thanks for looking.
Ok I changed photo apps and ill post photos soon.
Get your string as tight as you can. Trust me. I almost screwed up bow, my tiller string would stretch and it gives you false readings as you look a the bow.
You really need to get a tiller string made from some b-50 at the very least. You can buy it from several of our sponsors and get a couple spools for about 12 to 13 bucks. If you gonna be building bow your gonna have to learn how to make a string sooner or later,probably sooner.
Stiks
Stiks Is there a specific length in general? Kinda one size fits all? Kelly I enjoyed your Osage thread. Appreciate the info.
You can make a flemish twist with one loop on the end and tie a bowyers knot (timber hitch) in the other end and it is adjustable in length.
I'll see if I can find a tutorial on doing a bowyers knot. It took me forever to figure it out but it's really pretty simple.
Nice, I just looked at three rivers tillering string pretty much explained it. I'm pretty sure the site I got the plans from has how to make a flemish string but not a bowyers knot. Unless a bowyers knot is part of a flemish string? I think a video would be quite helpful.
If you google it or youtube it there is quite a few ways to tie a bow knot. Actually for my tillering string I use 600lbs dacron braided cord (i think its about an 1/8 thick) with two bow knots tied in each end. You can get it at pretty much any well stocked boat supply store. I just had it laying around for use with my spearguns i make... :)
How to tie the Bowyers Knot...
http://www.longbowarchers.co.uk/knot.html
Thanks Roy I was just coming back to this.
Bookmarked it! Thanks. After a lot of scraping with a shureform I got it bending nicely. Can even draw it to my anchor point. Just waiting on a real string in the mail....then we will see where we are at.
Dave, not sure if you caught the reply about the tillering Gizmo above. Below is a link to it, it really helps tiller out a bow. As for the tillering string, "do not" use one of those extra long tillering strings that hang way down when on the limb tips, they lie. Cut in your string grooves on the limb tips and use a tillering string that just barely stretchs into the grooves with the bow at rest.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001047
Thanks for posting the bowyers knot! looks basically like a timber hitch where the free end is trapped between the loop and the limb to limit the binding of the knot on the limb
Here are some pics of the build. Not too sure of the tiller.
(http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x389/ordcorpdw/utf-8BSU1BRzAzNDAuanBn.jpg)
This is the fake snakeskin backing
(http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x389/ordcorpdw/utf-8BSU1BRzAzMTcuanBn-1.jpg)
Progress on the handle.
(http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x389/ordcorpdw/utf-8BSU1BRzAzMjAuanBn.jpg)
Antler tips
More pics a bit later
Here is a tiller pic
(http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x389/ordcorpdw/utf-8BSU1BRzAzNjYuanBn.jpg)
Added stain over everything
(http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x389/ordcorpdw/utf-8BSU1BRzAzNjkuanBn.jpg)
Leather on handle
(http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x389/ordcorpdw/utf-8BSU1BRzAzNjcuanBn.jpg)
Close..
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f165/ROY-CHRIS/ordbow.jpg)
Do you have it on a regualar string yet and braced? I like the looks of the skin even though it is fake. Thought about getting some myself. I think the bend is pretty darn close just a bit more mnear the fades.
Awesome! Thank you ...........I take it flat is bad.
I don't know if I can post where I bought the "skin" but if you want ill send you a private message. So not too bad for my first bow? Def a learning experience. Actual string expected to be here this week. Hopefully I'm close enough I won't have to adjust much from what I was using to tiller with.
Flat is not bad, but it's not what you want, and it means you are still safe and can remove more wood from where it is flat and have the whole bow looking like a nice quarter moon.. You are doing well and you are close, just remove wood "slowly" where it is flat and pretty soon your whole bow will have a nice gentle arc..
Thanks Roy from pa.I appreciate your knowledge. I stared at that thing till my eyes were bugging out. I can see it now.
It's a lot easier to take pictures, then study them. You can see much more than when in the heat of the battle.
Make sure you exercise the bow at least 30 times after every time you remove wood.
Your welcome Dave.. Roy
Ok thought I was happy with it......lack of edumacation on bow building...now to those flat spots. I hear the word scrape a lot. Is it really a cute little scrape or shaving removing thin curls of material? I just don't see much much going on with a scrape. In my terms.....ouch I just scraped my knee or dear mother of pearl I have shaved six inches of flesh off my knee, gonna need stitches. Somewhere in between maybe?
Scraping is just what it sounds like. Making little curls with a scraper or anything like one. You can use almost anything that will make a curl when you drag it accross wood.
Cool I have just the tool. What is sick is I am already hunting for materials for another.......sick sick sick. Since I did this one with nothing other than hand tools I'm kinda hoping for maybe a band saw for Christmas.
I made my scraper from an old butcher knife I got at goodwill for about a buck and a half. Just about any thin steel works..I have a few old bandsaw blades around too that make good scrapers.
Wow I still can't wrap my mind around a knife blade scraping wood from an oak board. Just strung it up and got it to brace height.....probably put the cart before the horse but had to try it out. Shoots so nice...
I dont know where I got that idea myself but I ground the blade edge flat by holding its edge on a belt sander and then burnished the edge like Dean Torges suggested doing and walla...I have a nice handle to hold on one side for a good grip and my hands dont get tired. It takes whisper thin slices of wood off a stave and leaves behind a nice shiny almost sanded surface
Yea send me a PM where you got the fake skins and how much they were.
I use a folding knife that I carry often to scrape my bows. When I get real close I sometimes use a Razor from a utility knife because it is nice and flat. Does not take much off but it does keep the belly flat and not much sanding required after.