Common mistakes in deflex/reflex bows?

[Aussie Yeoman]

Hi all,

I'd like to get into deflex reflex bows, having made longbows and flatbows (straight and perry-reflexed) pretty much exclusively for almost three decades, with one or two recurves in the mix. I've been teaching bowmaking classes for about 15 years.

So I'm not new to bow making by any means, but only to this particular style. I've tried once or twice, but it didn't end well. I think the problem was in having the belly slat too thick, and/or trying to go for too much reflex, in the glue up.

I'd like to hear from the experienced, what common mistakes beginners can make when constructing and tillering this kind of bow. Maybe even some of the uncommon but important to know mistakes too.

Cheers!

[Badger]

     R?D is still my favorite, but not as extreme as shown in the diagram. I have built quite a few like those pictured, and I have had a very high failure rate. My biggest mistake is getting a hinge in the middle of the limb where it just suddenly appears. I believe my biggest mistake on those is trying to go for too much reflex. If the tips are level with the back, they are not too bad to tiller out, but they are a nightmare with a few inches of reflex. My favorite R?D design is more like an R&D with a semi-recurve. I use a very similar form to the one Gary Anderson used. Hard to beat.