Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (John W Cooper) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 09:34:12 GMT

I'm amazed at how much your bow improved when you re-tillered it. I'd suggest getting rid of the tillering stick after you've got it bending enough to brace. The pulley-style tillering tree is a lot safer since you can recognize hinges early on, the bow isn't sitting at full draw for minutes at a time, and you don't have to worry about the bow blowing up in your face. Once you see a spot bending too much, stop. Don't even continue pulling it to full poundage.
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Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (Asiertxu) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 07:24:24 GMT

What Jaro and Marjan said!!
So far so good mate!!.....
Cheers..
Asier.

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (Macka Chanak) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 09:09:26 GMT

Well done John.It sure looks better.
The set probably comes because the bow is a bit hinged...Jaros advice is excellent.Just few more scrapes from fades to midlimb and you're done.You'll have a nice long life bow.

I recently made a bow tillered like yours and it shot like fire,I couldn't believe it how fast it shot,but i am not sure how long it will last and it developed chrysals on the lower limb,exactly at the spot where the bend was largest.

Marjan...

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (sagitarius boemorum) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 04:43:43 GMT

You need to get it bend more from fades to midlimb. The inner part of the limbs barely moves at all and there are big flatspots next to fades on each side.

J.

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (Jon R 17) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 04:18:10 GMT

Again, thanks for this great advice!

Ive done a little more tillering this morning. Ive only taken the smallest ammount of wood off but i think it has made some difference.

I made this picture up. I cut the image down the centre and overlayed the two halves so its clear to see how equal they are. Not that equal but acceptable for me

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (Macka Chanak) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:21:40 GMT

ups sorry Rich,you already replied while I was posting

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (Macka Chanak) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:19:32 GMT

Hi John.
You're right,the left limb looks good,but the right limb bends too much at one spot at midlimb,leaving the outer part very stiff.
What i think you should do is you should (very carefully) remove wood from red area on the pic bellow,but,be careful,don't past the blue line...After this is done,it may need making adjustments to the left limb,but it may also turn out fine,without any need of touching the left limb...

However,wait for other,more experienced...

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (richpierce48) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:16:21 GMT

Go super slowly, is what I've learned the hard way. The right limb could be developing a hinge 2/3 of the way to the tip.

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (Jon R 17) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:07:27 GMT

Im very pleased with the left limb, i just need to work on the right a little more but i am unsure where i should take more wood off. On the right limb the wood naturally goes down a little because of the way the wood had grown, its made things tricky....

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (Jon R 17) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:54:13 GMT

Thankyou for all your feedback! you are being a big help. Ive been doing some more tillering. Ive took off a massive ammount of wood around the handle area, over all the bow has lost a fair bit of power i think but its better now its tillered better. Heres an update of what it looks like now.

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (George Tsoukalas) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:27:57 GMT

There are buildalongs on my site. Jawge

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (richpierce48) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:33:03 GMT

Did you place it on a background while tillering, draw different lengths, and trace the limbs? That will show where it is bending, and not. Plain brown paper wrapping material is good for this. Your bow is about 2x as thick as my ash bow, from the fades to halfway down the limb.

Flatbows are hard to tiller. I just made an ash bow that was going fine then developed a hinge quickly. Reducing thickness a little bit on a flat bellied bow can make a big difference in the strength of...

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (Orien M) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 11:16:47 GMT

Yes, the inner limbs are too thick still...too much bend already about 1/3 in from the tips on both limbs, so don't take any more off there. Having any kind of ridge or sudden thickness change (like your handle at the fades) can be trouble too, although yours looks pretty workable to me; you may want to watch out for that in the future. Since you are already thinking of how to do better, I'd say it's a great effort. Ultimately it's all about keeping that gradual taper real...

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (stiknstring) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:59:23 GMT

Looks like a lot of wood can be removed from that inner third near the handle on both sides

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (Jon R 17) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:52:58 GMT

I think thats good advice. I'll tiller this one good and propper and then just make another, thats the fun of it. Im only a beginner and this is proberbly only my 3rd serious bow attempt.

Maybe when i make my next time i should make a plain bongbow style bow so i can concentrate more on the tiller. Would you suggest that a longbow is easier to make than a flat bow?

...

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (badger5149) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:36:19 GMT
Jon, hard to say without a full draw pic but it appears all your bending is in the outer limbs. If this is the case you might be best off to just tiller the bow out to a nice even tiller for the practice and chalk it up to experience. We all had to pay our dues and ruin a few bows before we got a real good shooter. Chances are it will come in light. I would finish the bow up and then just start another, Steve

Re: Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (axel) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:36:10 GMT
Hi Jon, to me it sounds like you know what to do, a more even bend. It seem to bend only mid limb. taking of wood could lower the draw weight but will extend the bows life. Looks like a good first bow so just start another!

Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

feeds@yuku.com (Jon R 17) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:25:44 GMT
Ive been making a flat bow from some Ash wood for quite some time now. My inexperience led me to beleive it was pretty much finished but now after talking to someone about it i realise its far from finished. The problem i have is that its bending only in certain places on the limbs instead of a nice even arc all over. After stringing it up and firing a few arrows one limb is bending more than the other, its not a severly bad bend but i fear it could get worse unless i finish the job off...