Heads-up: I filmed this series back in 2014 (about 12 years ago), and it’s not how I build bows today. It’s still a solid walkthrough for the general idea, and the dimensions are spot on for a proper bow.
What a tillering tree does
It holds the bow while you pull the string down to marked notches, one inch at a time, so you can study how the limbs bend. Set it on a bathroom scale and you can read the draw weight at each notch, which comes into play in part 6. It doesn’t have to be pretty. I’ve made great bows on one just like this.
Materials
- One pine 1×2, about 4′ long, for the upright.
- A square wooden plaque from Michaels for the base.
- Scrap blocks for stabilizers and the top rest.
- Wood glue (I used Gorilla Wood Glue here).
- Screws and duct tape.
Tools
- Jigsaw with a scroll blade
- Drill
- Pencil and metal ruler
- An old bicycle inner tube, used as a clamp
Building the base
- Cut a square hole in the center of the plaque so you can see the scale’s readout through the base.
- Trace the end of the 1×2 onto the square you cut out, drill a pilot hole, and jigsaw out the rectangle. That piece becomes a collar the upright slides into.
- Glue scrap blocks around the bottom of the upright to stabilize it. Put glue on both surfaces, then wrap it tight with the inner tube while it dries.
- Tape over the bottom of the hole so glue can’t leak through, then glue the upright assembly into the base. Use plenty of glue.
- Eyeball it plumb. The eyeball is an amazing tool, so don’t underestimate it. Once dry, drive a couple of screws to lock it.
Marking the notches
- The zero point sits 1 ¾” above the top of the upright, where the bow’s handle rests. Screw a scrap block on top so it sticks up exactly 1 ¾”.
- Measuring from the top of that block, make the first mark at 6″, then one every inch down to about 29–30″.
- Draw a horizontal line across the stick at every mark.
Cutting the notches
- Start each cut a little above the line and angle the jigsaw down so the bottom of the notch lands right on the line. The string sits in the bottom of the notch, so that’s where your measurement needs to be.
- Cut the notches wide. Narrow ones catch the string and make it hard to pull back out.
Up next: Part 3, laying out the bow’s dimensions, cutting the tapers, and gluing on the riser and tip overlays.