tillering first bow and have some ??

[uncleduck]

this is my first attempt at making a bow. after laying out the bow and getting it floor tillered this is how it looked:

at that point it was suggested that I heat and bend the deflexed limb to try and match the other one. After heating and bending it, the limb was completely horizontal with no reflex or deflex(not what i intended but that was the result)
now after I have begun tillering the bow starting with a long string and then switching to an actual bowstring of proper length the limb that I previously heated and bent has returned to its original position. When braced the bow looks out of balance but when drawn it seems to even itself out. Did I do something wrong here?? any help would be appreciated.
braced:

drawn:

unstung now:

[tombo]

Uncleduck, nothing really wrong with the tiller. I'd like to see some other angles. The handle is too long for my likings. There's no need for a long hand-hold it just takes away from more usable limb area. You're bending a bit strong in the base, I'd rather see some smoother lines.
Good job anyway....what wood is it? Tom

[uncleduck]

its osage and i got the dimensions from boywers bible for their osage flat bow design

[half eye]

The full draw kinda says it all, looks good enough to be a long lived bow. Considering the beginning stave it dont look to this old man that you did anything wrong. Think I'd make the left limb (in the picks) the bottom limb, and go shoot the stuffin out of it.
rich

[uncleduck]

ok one more question. I just noticed on one of the limbs about half way there is a small (~1/2") crack that runs of off the edge of the limb on the back. This looks like it has the potential to be dangerous. I was thinking some sort of wrap in that area would keep this bow in working order. Any suggestions on what type of material would be best and what sort of technique? I would like this bow to be able to handle some humidity without any issues. Also what type of finishes do youguys use/recommend or should I just leave it just bare wood?

[Pat B]

Will you post pics of the cracks?     The angle that they intersect the edge is the critical part to worry about.    For a weather proof wrap use silk or serving thread and set it in super glue. Once the glue dries sand the wrap with very fine emery cloth and add more super glue. Sand that smooth and you are good to go. The thread is now a continuous solid band around the wrapped area .

[uncleduck]

here is the crack:

[aznboi3644]

right side from the pictures seems to be bending too much inner limbs/fade area.  too much set there

[Pat B]

The crack is following the grain. The limb should have also!

[uncleduck]

yea I kinda realized that about halfway thru the build. I would have figured the guy who helpped me lay it out would have mentioned something at the time, but I didnt realize it until he gave me a copy of the bowyers bible and read about it. Do you think it would still be ok to shoot once that crack area is reinforced?

[Pat B]

Is that the only runoffs?  Once the tillering is complete a wrap should hold that spot together. You can use a temporary wrap while finishing the tillering, remove it and smooth out the area as you sand the limbs and add the permanent wrap before you add the finish.

[gmc]

Nice job on that bow, good advice as to what to do also.

One other observation that I didn't see any comments on was the sharp corners. Its always a good idea to sand those down (radius) the top and bottom prior to bending.