Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

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Jon R 17	Im making an ash flat bow and need help!	Lead	[-]
Posts: 6 (01/04/08 10:25 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	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 propperly. I feel the draw weight is perfect for me but i also fear that taking more wood off will reduce the draw weight and power of the bow. Heres a pic or two of the bow so far, can you help me to decide what i should do next. Looking at some of the bows on this forum i realise mine looks very thick in palces. Maybe i take more wood off the thicker areas the draw weight may even be improved becuase more of the limbs are being used.... What are your thoughts? Many thanks! 16 easy to follow bushcraft tutorials at: www.jonsbushcraft.com Last Edited By: Jon R 17 01/04/08 1:56 PM. Edited 2 times.
axel		#1	[-]
Posts: 214 (01/04/08 10:36 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	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! Last Edited By: axel 01/04/08 10:38 AM. Edited 1 times.
badger5149		#2	[-]
Posts: 3001 (01/04/08 10:36 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	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
Jon R 17		#3	[-]
Posts: 7 (01/04/08 10:52 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	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? 16 easy to follow bushcraft tutorials at: www.jonsbushcraft.com
stiknstring		#4	[-]
Posts: 103 (01/04/08 10:59 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Looks like a lot of wood can be removed from that inner third near the handle on both sides
Orien M		#5	[-]
Posts: 951 (01/04/08 11:16 AM) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	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 even...keep working with the tiller to refine it, and keep looking at pictures! Good job. Oh, by the way, I'm not sure what the easiest style to tiller is but I can tell you that a flat bow with different length limbs (I like a longer limb on top most times, for various reasons) can get kind of confusing. The shorter limb also has to be some thinner to work right. Symmetrical limbs will at least be the same thickness and size, probably easier to achieve as a beginner. Actually it looks like you did that already, so just something to keep in mind for later. A longbow is nice, because you can move your hand around to find the right position once the bend is even. Last Edited By: Orien M 01/04/08 11:32 AM. Edited 3 times.
richpierce48		#6	[-]
Posts: 28 (01/04/08 12:33 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	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 that part of the limb. Now I always exercise the bow repeatedly after adjusting the tiller by removing some wood, then see how it's bending.
George Tsoukalas		#7	[-]
Posts: 2486 (01/04/08 1:27 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	There are buildalongs on my site. Jawge http://mysite.verizon.net/georgeandjoni
Jon R 17		#8	[-]
Posts: 8 (01/04/08 1:54 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	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. 16 easy to follow bushcraft tutorials at: www.jonsbushcraft.com
Jon R 17		#9	[-]
Posts: 9 (01/04/08 2:07 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	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.... 16 easy to follow bushcraft tutorials at: www.jonsbushcraft.com
richpierce48		#10	[-]
Posts: 29 (01/04/08 2:16 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	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.
Macka Chanak		#11	[-]
Posts: 336 (01/04/08 2:19 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	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 guys to answer as well...More heads are always smarter than one Marjan There is no Theory of evolution.Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live!
Macka Chanak		#12	[-]
Posts: 337 (01/04/08 2:21 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	ups sorry Rich,you already replied while I was posting There is no Theory of evolution.Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live!
Jon R 17		#13	[-]
Posts: 10 (01/05/08 4:18 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	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 As you can see, when the bow is un-strung it has taken a little amount of set... could i toast the belly over a fire to reduce the set? 16 easy to follow bushcraft tutorials at: www.jonsbushcraft.com Last Edited By: Jon R 17 01/05/08 4:49 AM. Edited 2 times.
sagitarius boemorum		#14	[-]
Posts: 3211 (01/05/08 4:43 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	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.
Macka Chanak		#15	[-]
Posts: 340 (01/05/08 9:09 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	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 There is no Theory of evolution.Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live!
Asiertxu		#16	[-]
Posts: 513 (01/06/08 7:24 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	What Jaro and Marjan said!! So far so good mate!!..... Cheers.. Asier. //Asier from Bilbao"BASQUE COUNTRY".
John W Cooper		#17	[-]
Posts: 12 (01/09/08 9:34 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	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. Hope this was helpful! John (Who's about to go attack his own ash stave! )

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Im making an ash flat bow and need help!

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