What's the typical set of a whitewood flatbow?

[MaceG]

Or maybe a better question would be  how much set would be considered excessive? Mainly, I was wondering about ash.
Thanks guys. I love this forum. Much help here.

[Pappy]

I think 2 or 3 inches of set is exceptable,but not to mix up set with string follow,all wood bow take some set,string follow is when the bow looks like it is strung after you unstring it.I like mine to wind up at least flat if not a little reflex.The problem is if you don't introduce some reflex into the bow first
and it is flat to start with you will get more string follow but no necessarily more set.I know ,clear as mud. Some think that how much set it took is how much string follow it has.  Say you start with a bow with 4 inches of reflex and it ends up with 1 inch of reflex you have 3 inches of set but no string follow.Maybe that will help.
    Pappy

[Hillbilly]

With ash, I would call anything under 2" of follow pretty normal. It tends to take a little more set than some woods, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Some people seem to think that a bow with a little set is worthless, but I would disagree. I try to reduce follow on my bows, but I'll also say that out of all my bows, one of the best-shooting and most accurrate bows I have is an old ugly ash flatbow with about 2" of set. It's easy to string, stable, accurate, and smooth; and still shoots plenty hard and fast enough to stick an arrow through whatever you're pointing it at. I've killed several assorted critters with it over the years, I call it "old faithful."

[cracker]

I always figured that if the back of my nocks were even with the back of the handle that was pretty good.Ronnie

[George Tsoukalas]

I'm happy if set is around 2 in. Jawge

[MaceG]

Hey Pappy,  great explanation. Looks like I'll be inducing some reflex next bow.
I got about two inches of set on this one. This is my second bow.
My first bow got about four inches, the poor old thing.

[adb]

Don't sweat the set!! A little bit of set is actually a good thing. Anything 2 inches or under is totally fine. If the limbs have taken a bit of set, you know you have reduced sufficient material to provide maximum efficiency. In other words, you've removed enough material from the limbs to provide the best balance between limb mass and it's abillity to recoil with maximum efficiency. I like to remove enough wood from the limbs, until they just start to take set, and then do everything I can to prevent more.

[Dauntless]

Anything below 2" is great although I've gotten more on anything short, thin, round bellied or cable-backed.

Heat treating is a blessing for white woods.