Bow Tillering Instructions
- 1). Shoot several arrows with the bow and pay close attention to where you nocked the arrow: if you feel a consistent pull that feels as if the shot is being pulled downward, some wood needs to be shimmed from the bottom limb. The reverse is true: if the shot is being pulled upward, the upper limb requires attention. Note which direction your shot is being pulled in, which determines which limb needs to be addressed.
- 2). Lay the bow flat on a stable surface and use a yardstick or tape measure to measure the distance from the string to the limb just above the handle. Measure the distance from the string to the handle just below the handle. Ideally these two measurements should be identical. If not, remember how your arrows were shooting, top-heavy or bottom-heavy. Whichever limb needs to be addressed, remove the bowstring in preparation for shimming down the wood.
- 3). Use fine-grit sandpaper to sand down the upper or lower limb as called for, reducing its thickness. Be sure to use long, slow and evenly pressured passes with the paper to prevent over-sanding and from sanding areas you don’t want to touch, such as near the limb tips where the string is attached, which would weaken your shot.
- 4). Restring the bow as you did the first time you strung it and fire a few more arrows, again taking note of how the arrows fire. This time, try to be as accurate as you can. If you shimmed correctly and removed enough from the limb, your shot should be dead on -- or at least as straight as your ability allows. If your arrows remain top- or bottom-heavy, repeat the steps until the bow limbs till as needed.
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