What Is Tillering a Bow?

A bow must be tightly wound to maximize the power and accuracy of arrows. But winding a bow too tightly or unevenly can warp the wood and permanently offset the quality of a bow. A bow's tiller refers to the evenness of how the wood bends and tillering the bow means finding the most even curve so arrows fly with the maximum possible speed and accuracy.

  1. Why a Bow Must be Tillered

    • The balance of the wood is vital when making a bow. How much weight and tension each end has compared to the other can radically change how an arrow flies, even more than the type of wood the bow is made from. It is important not to make a perfectly even bow and hope it works for any archer. A perfectly even tiller will kick upward when an arrow is loosed and throw off the archer's aim. Furthermore, the kickback will stress the archer's arm after numerous shots.

    How to Tiller a Bow

    • A bowyer first starts with each bow limb curving in a circular arc. It is important to make the bow slightly too heavy at first because the bowyer will need to shave excess material off to balance it later on. The weight and thickness of the wood must taper outward from where the archer holds and aims the bow to the tips. Because the string is drawn from the middle of the bow, tension on each tip is even and both ends must be able to handle the tension without throwing the archer off balance.

    The Best Tiller for a Bow

    • The best bows are tailored for the archer. Because an even bow naturally kicks upward, the lower tip must be stiffer, but not heavier, than the upper tip. A stiffer lower half will compensate for the kickback and provide an even recoil after loosing an arrow. What is most important is that when the string is drawn evenly, the bow bends evenly. A good tiller will make the bow feel completely balanced in the middle.

    Cautions when Tillering

    • There is no universal standard when tillering a bow. The ideal tiller differs from one bow to the next and from one archer from the next. An archer's comfort with a bow trumps nearly every other factor and must be accounted for. It's a good idea to take several practice shots when tillering a bow to find the best "feel" for the bow. Make minor adjustments after every shot until you find the tiller that is most comfortable and consistently yields the most accurate shots.