Ok guys, I made a 68in long hickory board bow. tillered it out, measured limb s with calipers and they were really close entire length. So I put flip tips on it and they turned out nice and even. So I braced it and bottom limb tip straightened out? The top limb didnt curve like the bottom even tho on tiller tree they both seemed to arc closely? Any ideas on how I failed or maybe I should just stick with straight tips? Any help appreciated

Mark I’m not sure I can answer your question without having seen before and after pictures of your bows profiles. Where it was bending if it took any set. Lots of things like that.

I’m guessing you made a pyramid bow? I haven’t done either a board bow or a pyramid. George seems to be the go to guy for them.

I would expect any of the bows I make not to be the same thickness with a calipers the whole length. My bows would have thickest area right out of the fades. Where the most stress is. As we move towards the tips they would very gradually become thinner and or narrower. I don’t measure the thickness per say although I do feel it with my fingers. I look at the bend on the tree. Don’t just look at Where it’s bending and where the tips end up. Look at the bend over the entire limb. Look to see where it might be bending to much. Look for where it’s straighter and not bending enough. Eric’s tillering gizmo has helped a lot of both beginners and veteran bowyers. I think they would work really well on a board bow . Not so well on some of the roller coaster staves. It takes awhile to develop a eye for this. The gizmo marks where to remove wood.

The recurves will add both draw weight and early string tension. They can make it much more difficult to string until you get use to it. I don’t know why your curve pulled out. Might have been to narrow or thin to hold the curve. If tips were working (bending) they might have been to thin to hold the static recurves. I don’t know how hickory behaves. HHB is hard to keep the recurves from slightly pulling out. Osage seems to hold really well.

Hope you can figure it out. A bow that doesn’t work out can still be a very good learning tool

Bjrogg

Yes it defineately learning bow. The limbs did narrow and thin along the length.1 3/4 at fades to 1/2 in at tips. was a pyramid design. top limb tip stayed curved bottom pulled out? I have made a few longbows and most turned out pretty well had couple break but thats to be expected. Thanks for help.

BJ is spot on. When I flip the tips I have to add mass it those areas same at fades this is on my pyramid Osage selfbows. Probably not enough thickness In one tip. Learned lesson. Reduce the weight ten pounds and redo the tips . That’s about all I could add. Arvin

Assuming that you boiled tips to bend, you might try steaming the failed one and even using a heat gun on the belly later on. If that does not work, you can simply add a thin strip of wood on the belly side of the tip. With modern epoxy, it will hold.

I agree with BJ. Most bowyers end up with too much bending towards the tips of a pyramid bow making the wood to thin for the recurve to hold.

The tiller should appear more circular.

More on my site.

http://traditionalarchery101.com

Jawge

Sounds like an error in your heating process. Many people seem to struggle with curves or bends pulling out, particularly with Hickory.

That can be from either heating for too long or too little.

With Hickory it can help to add a few thin lams to hold the curve with help from the gluelines.

The old Pearson Deerslayers added a kerfed lam in the center to help hold them. I believe earlier models did not have that insurance.

Using dry heat after steaming the curve is also said to help 'lock in" a curve. You need to hold the initial curve in place while doing this and don't try to add a little extra while you're doing so.

To add to that, many are of the opinion that a true pyramid should not have flipped or recurved tips for a few reasons.

They are fine with a few small modifications though.

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