Tiller Help, please!

[ajbruggink]

Heh guys,

I've been working on a short black locust stave, it is 58" tip to tip and is very narrow due to woodworking mistakes on my part, about 11/16" wide at its widest. I'm trying to make a very lightweight D-bow out of it, I need a lighter bow anyway because of some health problems I'm currently dealing with. I want it to draw to a 29" draw length and I've got it at 20" right now and I'm stuck at what I should do right now. The right (top) limb is giving me trouble because of some character in the limbs. I know there is at least one long section that is not bending very much and I feel that I have a hinge developing in the upper third of the limb. But when the bow is braced, most of the bending is happening in the top limb, making it unbalanced. I'm not sure if I should remove wood from the bottom limb to make it more even before fixing the problems in the top limb or if I should fix the problems in the top limb first? Most of the set has been taken in the top limb, very little in the bottom limb, which I expected from the start because of the natural deflex in the top limb. I started out 1 9/16" of set and now I have 2 1/2" of set. Your advice and critiques are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Aaron
https://i.imgur.com/cUbVzBN.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/aLS9jLn.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/bQoBG9z.jpg?1
 

[DC]

That is a skinny piece of wood!! I'm not sure if the crooked part(upper?) is actually that bad. Compared to the unbraced picture there is some similarity. I would work on the stiff limb. You will probably have your 29" by the time you sort that out. It must be very light. They are tough to tiller.

[Pat B]

I think I'd straighten it out then tiller it.

[DC]

Good point, do that.