I've been knocking up (sorry...) a longbow made from ash backing and walnut belly of about 72" which just about reaches my draw of 30" (next one will be longer to make the draw more 'comfortable' for the wood).
Trouble is, that the lower arm is definitely stiffer than the top. The lower arm has, in my opinion, a perfect tiller but the top arm though it looks good, doesn't match, and no amount of scraping seems to be making any changes anymore...
The upper weaker arm has more set when left, but it's only about a centimetre or so. The handle is off centre towards the lower arm, the centre line being about 1" below the top of the handle.
When the bow is strung, I have taken measurements of the bracing height 9" either side of the centre point, and the lower arm gap is 1cm smaller than the upper arm at this point.
The question is, is this a real problem? I'm not doing comps with this bow, it was more a bowmaking experience, but obviously i want to use it informally, preferably without breaking it. I suspect that I might have tillered it too much and too quick causing this problem to occur. I have already appied two coats of linseed oil, so if you think that further scraping is an idea, is this still possible to do??
Any thoughts please...?
Trouble is, that the lower arm is definitely stiffer than the top. The lower arm has, in my opinion, a perfect tiller but the top arm though it looks good, doesn't match, and no amount of scraping seems to be making any changes anymore...
The upper weaker arm has more set when left, but it's only about a centimetre or so. The handle is off centre towards the lower arm, the centre line being about 1" below the top of the handle.
When the bow is strung, I have taken measurements of the bracing height 9" either side of the centre point, and the lower arm gap is 1cm smaller than the upper arm at this point.
The question is, is this a real problem? I'm not doing comps with this bow, it was more a bowmaking experience, but obviously i want to use it informally, preferably without breaking it. I suspect that I might have tillered it too much and too quick causing this problem to occur. I have already appied two coats of linseed oil, so if you think that further scraping is an idea, is this still possible to do??
Any thoughts please...?