Keep the reading with the session.

Start a stave record

Create a project before tillering and enter the name, wood species, bow style, working dimensions, target draw length and weight, and any baseline readings useful at your bench. Targets are labels for your own plan; the app does not decide whether a particular stave can safely reach them.

Add a tillering session

Choose the phase, then add the values you actually observed: force-draw samples, brace height, upper and lower tiller, set or string follow, mass, areas worked, and free-form notes. Keep the same measurement origin and unit convention across sessions.

The force-draw chart connects the samples you enter. Its stored energy estimate uses transparent trapezoidal integration and is only as accurate as the readings and spacing supplied.

Standardized photos

A session can reference drawn, front-profile, and resting side-profile views. Apple’s Photos picker grants access only to an image you select; Tiller Trace copies that image into local app storage. Photos are optional.

For meaningful comparisons, use a stable camera position, uncluttered contrasting background, visible full bow, consistent orientation, and the same draw-reference setup. Release a drawn bow promptly after the photo rather than leaving it loaded.

Compare two sessions

Select matching photo types from two sessions, adjust overlay opacity, and use the centerline or grid as visual references. Perspective, lens distortion, crop, rotation, scale, uneven floor, and camera movement can create misleading differences. The overlay does not align, measure, diagnose, or approve a bow.

PDF reports and portable backups

A PDF is a readable bench summary. A `.tillertrace` backup is intended to preserve editable project content and its selected media. Save exports to a destination you control, then verify an important backup before deleting the source project or app.

A file leaves Tiller Trace only after you choose an Apple system share or file destination. Cloud and third-party destinations handle the exported file under their own terms and your device settings.

Saved work and deletion

Projects and copied images are stored locally on the iPhone or iPad. There is no account or developer synchronization service. Deleting a project removes its local record and associated media. Removing the app may remove local records, subject to Apple device backup and restore behavior.

If a photo will not import

Confirm the item is still available to the Photos picker and allow the transfer to finish before leaving the editor. Very large or unusual image files may take longer. The rest of the session can be saved without a photo.

If values look wrong

Confirm the selected unit system, measurement origin, decimal entry, draw-length order, and scale reading. Remove duplicate or out-of-order force-draw points, then compare the chart with the source notes. Tiller Trace never reads a scale automatically.

Purchases and Family Sharing

Tiller Trace is a $9.99 paid download with no subscription or in-app purchase. Apple handles payment, downloads, refunds, and Family Sharing availability through the App Store.

Accessibility

The app supports Dynamic Type, VoiceOver labels, increased contrast, reduced motion, and adaptive iPhone and iPad layouts. The visual photo overlay cannot replace direct inspection or a nonvisual safety assessment. Contact support with an accessibility barrier and the workflow where it occurs.

Contact support

Email mannykin333@gmail.com with the Tiller Trace version, device model, iOS or iPadOS version, and the workflow that failed. Do not send a full backup or private workshop photo unless it is necessary and you choose to share it.

Safety and privacy

Read the safety boundary before using a workshop record to inform further work. The privacy policy explains local storage, selected photos, exports, and support correspondence.