Board bow

[Ironhand]

Hi guys,  I decided to try making a board bow.  It went well and I have it tillered but I have a couple of problems. It's a 70 inch Red Oak stave,40lb @28 inches.

The first problem is that it has has developed a "C" shape as I worked it.
The second problem is that it's longer and lighter than I wanted.

My question is, can I shorten it p

[Ironhand]

Stupid machine.

Can I shorten it to 66 or 68 inches at this point? It's tillered but not finished.

My hope is that this will remove some of the curve and perhaps raise the draw weight.

Thanks
Ironhand

[Winter Hawk]

I would check with RobD, he is very knowledgeable about archery and its equipment.  And, without photos it never happened!   

[RobD]

Stupid machine.

Can I shorten it to 66 or 68 inches at this point? It's tillered but not finished.

My hope is that this will remove some of the curve and perhaps raise the draw weight.

Thanks
Ironhand

Yes and no.  If you shorten the stave, it will absolutely need re-tillering and that might negate the reason why it's been shortened.

Tillering a stave is an art of sorts, and it usually takes going through a number of staves/boards to learn the craft ... even so, all wood is different and sometimes it is what it is.

[Eric Krewson]

Don't know but I suspect you pulled it too far too soon while you were tillering it, most new guys do, myself included 28 years ago