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Locust from the start

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PrimitiveTim:
Wow!  It doesn't even look like it came from same piece of wood.  Well done!

JackCrafty:
Make the limbs as wide as you can, for now.  1-3/4" to 2" will leave you some room to work with.  You can remove material from the sides later when you are tillering.  It all depends on the wood.  Locust sometimes will show compression stress lines if the stave is too narrow during tillering.

THoward:
It's Sunday afternoon and I am back at it.  After taking some measurements and doing a little layout.  Thanks Gordon.  I am thinking I do not have enough material in the grip area to make a stiff handle.  The bow "to be" is 1 3/8" at the grip and 2" deep.  Pretty narrow and not much to keep the bow from bending after I take a little off.  Other than changing this to a bend through the handle, which I am fine with considering Locust has fret issues and I have made several bend through bows. Does anyone have thoughts on whether to keep with the stiff handle or bend through?  See pics.


Ps. on a side note I have never done a rawhide backed bow and would like to try it, but this wood may be too pretty to back.  I'll tackle that later.

JackCrafty:
I think you should try for the stiff handle and begin tillering the bow.  66" long with a 4" handle should work fine with a bow 1-3/8" and made of sound black locust.  Keep the belly flat, of course.  The majority of the bending should occur in the widest parts of the limb with the last 4" or 5" of the tips not bending at all.  The bow is a a bit narrow for my taste but you've got to go with what you have.  For this bow a goal of 50# at 26" draw is safe, IMO, but if you want 55# at 28" draw you'll need to take it slow and probably get the handle working a little.

Pat B:
Patrick is giving good advise. I treat locust like whitewood because of it tendancy to fret if not tillered properly. Also, locust handles belly tempering well and that will help prevent the possibe fretting. 
  If you have a good, clean back ring no backing is needed. Locust is quite strong in tension.
  Leave the handle area stff until mostly tillered then bring the bend back towards the handle. I like to feel the handle give a little when I hit full draw. 

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