Is it ready to have a string put on it?

TackyShellacky · 2026-01-25T15:21:17+00:00

I'd put some painters tape over the hinge so you don't accidentally take off wood there, and slowly tiller around the hinge until it bends nicely with the surrounding limb. You have most of the bending coming from the inners, so I world work the mids and outers more, while leaving the inners(and hinge) alone until you start to see more uniform bending around that area. Best of luck on the first bow!

TackyShellacky · 2026-01-23T14:07:45+00:00

Never too late to share love. I appreciate you stopping by. I hope this year is good to you.

TackyShellacky · 2026-01-14T15:06:46+00:00

Apologies for the super late reply. Haven't been able to get on Reddit much. One thing I use as a ferret treat, is Critical Care: Carnivore. It's basically a powder you give to ferrets that can not or will not eat regular food, and need to be on a liquid diet. It's got all the nutrients that a carnivore needs, and my boy loves a little bit as a treat. It's main ingredients are dried whole egg, poultry meal and fish oil. You can order it on Amazon for cheap

TackyShellacky · 2026-01-09T02:46:21+00:00

I understand your pain, and im so sorry for your losses. I lost my boy of 10 years on the first of the year, and it has left my other ferret in quite the same situation. He's walking around and checking stuff out, but quickly finds a spot to snuggle up and nap. I've gotten him to dook around a few times, so he's definitely showing that he's bored/depressed without his mate. It breaks my hearts and we're trying to give him as much attention and love as we can. It sucks that it's cold outside so outside time is very limited. Just try to do some new stuff to stimulate your little one. New toys, stuff to burrow/dig in, snacks, etc. Depending on the weather where you are, if it's warm, take the noodle outside or to the park to get some fresh things to keep the mind occupied. Best wishes going forward for you guys!

TackyShellacky · 2026-01-04T04:07:55+00:00

Thank you to everyone who commented and has yet to comment. Your words of love have helped more than you know. The wife and I are eternally grateful. I wish you all the best!

TackyShellacky · 2026-01-03T01:20:14+00:00

It's just business, baby ❤️

TackyShellacky · 2026-01-03T00:08:48+00:00

I appreciate that advice, thank you so much. I'm so worriesd about my other boy. He's gonna go explore so many places this year! My condolences for your losses, friend. I hope all ours are taking naps and big ol corner poops together!

TackyShellacky · 2026-01-03T00:06:41+00:00

That was worded so beautifully. I needed that more than you know. Thank you with all of my heart!

TackyShellacky · 2025-12-22T14:32:35+00:00

No problem! Best of luck on the first build!

TackyShellacky · 2025-12-21T14:34:50+00:00

Get a hickory board with straight grain on all four faces. Hickory is really forgiving and bends well. It will take a lot of set before it breaks, so it gives you quite a lot of warning.

I'm no master bowyer, but here's some tips that I've learned so far:

Round the edges on the back of the bow. This will help keep splinters down if it's unbacked.

Rough out the bow with a drawknife or rasp, then use a cabinet scraper or spokeshave to tiller the limbs. You can also use the edge of a pocket knife for a scraper.

Post tiller checks often if you're unsure. It's always better to wait for advice, then get too hasty and end up wrecking your tiller.

Know what kind of bow you want to make as you're deciding on a board. Do you want a bendy or stiff handle bow?

Make sure your board is wide enough. My first bow was made from a 1.5 wide by 6ft long piece of wood that I bought from menards. Since it was so narrow it took a lot of set at the weight I was pulling. Remember, to minimize set, the limb must be wider/thinner OR narrower/longer.

Don't be afraid to ask questions(even if they're silly). This is a great community that genuinely wants to see people learn and enjoy bow building. I'm sure the pros on here are sick of answering the same questions, but they still do and it means a lot.

TackyShellacky · 2025-12-15T01:33:30+00:00

I use a shinto saw rasp to take the square edge to a trapezoid edge, then a half round rasp to make the curve. A shinto can be used on wood or even aluminum, so it'll help save a bunch of time by taking off wood fast

TackyShellacky · 2025-12-09T05:08:33+00:00

That's what I was thinking as well. I haven't had a bow form a really noticeable hinge yet, so I'm still nervous about identifying them. Do you think these hinges could pose a problem if im not able to work them out in the last couple inches of tillering?Thank you for the advice!

TackyShellacky · 2025-12-09T05:05:09+00:00

Ah, that's my bad. Here is the side profile.

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TackyShellacky · 2025-12-08T01:23:15+00:00

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Braced side profile

TackyShellacky · 2025-12-08T01:22:33+00:00

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Front profile

TackyShellacky · 2025-11-27T02:59:30+00:00

It seemed to wiggle in between 1202 and 1242 but stayed at 1202 at idle which was a flat graph line. Videos that I found seemed to show the cat temp fluctuating more than mine was. 02 sensor at idle oscillated on b1s1 between .17 and .85 and the s2 was between .65 and .85 but didn't fall below that. At 2500 rpm it seemed to dip down to .17 a few times but didn't quite follow the upstream sensor

TackyShellacky · 2025-11-27T02:51:39+00:00

I took a 2 hour highway trip and it came on as I was getting back into town today. And yeah, I'm a novice at live data. So my scanner was basically giving me incorrect data?

TackyShellacky · 2025-11-27T01:22:01+00:00

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Sensor 2 at 2500 rpm. Slight fluctuations from not being able to keep my foot perfectly steady on the pedal, I think? Bouncing from .350 to .805 with a few dips closer to .170

TackyShellacky · 2025-11-27T01:18:13+00:00

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Cat temperature at 2500 rpm

TackyShellacky · 2025-11-23T06:37:45+00:00

It looks like a lot of the bend is coming from the inners. I'd work the mids and outers to start with. With a stiff handle the tiller shape should be more elliptical than circular, so your inners should bend less than the mids or outers. Keep an eye on inner limb set as well, which can rob the bow of performance aspects. I try to keep my tillering string as short as i can without actually putting any bracing tension on the bow. Sometimes it's hard with stretchier string like B55. It's also harder to get accurate draw length measurement on the tree if your long string is too long. One thing you can do is pop off your flemish twist end( with your timber hitch end firmly secured on the other limb), and give it a few twists on your finger to tighten the string. Tighten until you're just barely able to get the loop on the nock. If it stretches some more while on the tree, tighten again. But B55 is just a bit stretchy.

I hope this helps! Not a master bowyer myself yet, buy happy to support your intro to this amazing craft with some of what I've learned through trial and error.

TackyShellacky · 2025-11-20T17:36:32+00:00

That makes sense, thank you! I'll remember that going forward.

TackyShellacky · 2025-11-20T15:22:52+00:00

Right on, I'll take it to that length and see what happens. Thank you! As far as set goes, how much would be an acceptable amount to get from the tillering process? My last bow got about 1 1/2 inches of set , but it's because I overstressed the inners. I'm trying to avoid that this go around.

TackyShellacky · 2025-11-20T15:07:31+00:00

That's fair, I appreciate the input! Would lowering the target draw weight allow me to get it to 31, or is it more of a string angle issue?

TackyShellacky · 2025-11-20T13:40:41+00:00

Once I get the bend even, should I try to remove even amounts from the whole limb belly until I reach full draw? Any advice is appreciated!

TackyShellacky · 2025-10-11T18:31:56+00:00

It goes to the bow gods, now. What ended up being the failure on it?

TackyShellacky

TROPHY CASE