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Franko Manini
01-14-2007, 11:42 PM
I've always tuned my compounds for even tiller. Mostly because that's where they shot best in my hand. But recently I read an article about tuning the tiller to seat the bow evenly in your grip hand. If your "heeling" the bow, i.e. more pressure on the palm of your hand than between your thumb and forefinger, then you would relax tension on the bottom limb or increase tension on the upper limb. The procedure would be opposite if your were feeling more pressure on the thumb/forefinger junction.

What's your take on this?

Bow Walker
01-15-2007, 09:05 AM
My bow is out of tiller by 3/16" on the top limb, but my groups are acceptable (at least by my standards) although I am continually trying to tighten them.

So.........I'm not too concerned with the uneven tiller - at this point anyway. The bow is still new-to-me so I'm still shooting-in the string and cable, and settling the peep.

willyqbc
01-15-2007, 09:26 AM
I always shoot even tiller. uneven tiller can cause unlevel nock travel. Although it will be slight, i would rather have it perfect and work on a different grip than fit it to the way i grip and have uneven nock travel.

Chris

Bow Walker
01-16-2007, 08:41 AM
I found this article on Tiller Tuning. There is a lot of good information in here and it seems worth a close look.

Hope this helps................Dan



Tiller Tuning, By Perry A. Ratcliff


Tiller tuning methods described elsewhere require an archer of exceptional abilities to produce consistently good results. The following tiller tuning procedure should be useful to a much larger segment of archers.
My tiller tuning procedure is a simple two-step process. In the first step, you adjust the tiller to where you can best aim the bow. In the second step, you fine-tune the tiller to where the bow is most forgiving.


Step 1
Shoot as many shots as necessary to determine whether the bow is pulling you down below the spot or the bow is drawing you up above the spot. Drawing "on the spot" will help you best determine what direction the bow is pulling you. If the bow is pulling you down below the spot, decrease the weight on the bottom limb or increase the weight on the top limb. If the bow is drawing you above the spot, increase the weight on the bottom limb or decrease the weight on the top limb.

During this part of the tuning process it is not critical that you continue readjusting the nocking point for good arrow flight. You are only interested in getting the bow to aim with the greatest ease. After you have adjusted your tiller, continue shooting the bow to see how well it aims for you and adjust the tiller as described above until the bow consistently draws on or near the spot.

When you have the bow aiming well, readjust the nocking point (and peep sight height) to obtain proper arrow flight.


Step 2
You now have the bow adjusted for the best "feel" in you hand and can begin tuning for best grouping. For this part of the tuning process it is necessary to evaluate how well you execute each shot. If you bow is tuned properly all of your "Good" shots are going to group together.

What you need to do now is identify what happens to your arrows when you shoot an arrow that has been aimed well but execution was flawed. Disregard all shots that are not well aimed (did you do a good enough job in step 1). If tiller is not yet adjusted perfectly, your questionable shots will tend to go consistently high or consistently low. These high or low shots are what you will be looking for when fine tuning your tiller. If your tiller is adjusted correctly, some of you poorly executed shots will group a little high and some will group a little low.

If your poorly executed shots consistently group low, decrease weight on your bottom limb or increase weight on your top limb. If your poorly executed shots consistently group high, increase weight on the bottom limb or decrease weight on your top limb.

This fine tuning process should not be completed in only two or three ends because you are making adjustments based on where you poorly executed (but well aimed) shots are going. During this fine tuning process, make adjustments on only one limb and never make adjustments of more than +/- ¼ turn from your initial setting of step one. I generally make my fine tuning adjustments in 1/16 turn increments.

Unlike most tiller tuning methods, this procedure works well at even short distances. I generally do my tiller tuning at 20 yards. At 20 yards, I try to determine whether my poorly executed (but well aimed) shots consistently drift high of the spot or low of the spot and adjust accordingly.

Onesock
01-16-2007, 09:03 AM
Unless your arrow is exactly in the center of the bow tiller will have to be higher/lower on the top/bottom limb to make everything equal. Tiller is to make sure your limbs move ahead at the same time.

Eagle1
01-16-2007, 11:13 PM
Lets see, where to start.

Tiller tuning, tuning the bows tiller to the way you grip and shoot the bow to your style so that both limbs move forward at the excact same time: IE level nock travel for your shooting style.

Start by making sure that the cams are in time { single or dual }
Take all nock,kisser,peep measurements,write them down.
Get nine { 9 } paper pie plates
mark one EVEN TILLER
mark next ones {4} top limb 1/4,1/2,3/4,1 turn
mark next ones {4} bottom limb, 1/4,1/4,3/4,1 turn
warm up at about 30 meters{ yards }
first plate even tiller shoot six arrows as best you can, no hurry
next plate { top limb 1/4 turn } back off top limb 1/4 turn reset nock,kisser,peep,shoot six arrows.
next plate top limb, 1/2 turn, turn off top limb another 1/4 turn so it's now at 1/2 turn off, shoot six arrows
do this for the rest of the top limb, 3/4, 1, shooting six arrows at each plate till top limb is 1 full turn off.
now put those plates aside, set bow back to even tiller
start on the bottom limb and do it all over again 1/4,1/2,3/4,1
remember to reset the nock,kisser,and peep each time you take off a 1/4 of a turn, it woun't be much but it will make a difference.
When all nine plates have been shot lay them out and see which tiller setting has the best group and set your bow to that.
your bow is tiller tuned to the way you grip, stand, anchor, TO YOU
with a little micro tunning on your rest you should see your groups improve.
It's a long process, so take your time, it's an all day thing, you can even do it over a couple of days, half one day the other half the next day.

I'm not very good at typing this out so I hope you understand what I'm getting at.:smile:

Bow Walker
01-17-2007, 08:43 AM
Excellent advice Bill. Heck, if I can get the idea, then anyone should be able to. Looks like a very practical way to tune the bow to your own personal specs.

You're right in that it is a time consuming process but if a guy/gal is serious it will be something that is sure to be done. I know I'm going to do it........when the weather gets better that is.

Franko Manini
01-17-2007, 02:33 PM
Lets see, where to start.

Tiller tuning, tuning the bows tiller to the way you grip and shoot the bow to your style so that both limbs move forward at the excact same time: IE level nock travel for your shooting style.

Start by making sure that the cams are in time { single or dual }
Take all nock,kisser,peep measurements,write them down.
Get nine { 9 } paper pie plates
mark one EVEN TILLER
mark next ones {4} top limb 1/4,1/2,3/4,1 turn
mark next ones {4} bottom limb, 1/4,1/4,3/4,1 turn
warm up at about 30 meters{ yards }
first plate even tiller shoot six arrows as best you can, no hurry
next plate { top limb 1/4 turn } back off top limb 1/4 turn reset nock,kisser,peep,shoot six arrows.
next plate top limb, 1/2 turn, turn off top limb another 1/4 turn so it's now at 1/2 turn off, shoot six arrows
do this for the rest of the top limb, 3/4, 1, shooting six arrows at each plate till top limb is 1 full turn off.
now put those plates aside, set bow back to even tiller
start on the bottom limb and do it all over again 1/4,1/2,3/4,1
remember to reset the nock,kisser,and peep each time you take off a 1/4 of a turn, it woun't be much but it will make a difference.
When all nine plates have been shot lay them out and see which tiller setting has the best group and set your bow to that.
your bow is tiller tuned to the way you grip, stand, anchor, TO YOU
with a little micro tunning on your rest you should see your groups improve.
It's a long process, so take your time, it's an all day thing, you can even do it over a couple of days, half one day the other half the next day.

I'm not very good at typing this out so I hope you understand what I'm getting at.:smile:

Thanks for this description. Very similar to working up a handload for a rifle. I'll be putting this on my to-do list as well.

sealevel
01-21-2007, 09:02 AM
I totally agree with Willyq start with an even tiller . Work on your form --- keep it simple --tune your cams ---tune your rest