What is too much reflex??

[Danzn Bar]

First of all, Pearl ....................thank you very much for your comments, coming from you is very much appreciated, you have had many fine bow posts.  BOM would be unbelivable to me, this is only my 8th bow.  but I have been reading about and looking at the BOM for about 5 or 6 years.  thanks again.  Already thinking of my next bow.
 
I just got through putting about 80 shots thru her.   After about fifteen minutes the reflex comes right back.

So, what is my answer to " what is too much reflex??"  Good question Pearl...................At this moment 3 1/2" is definetly not too much!  I have got a sister stave to this (I'm going to have to name her) bows stave that I am all ready thinking about.

Thanks again, Pearl and all who had comments.
DB

[Carson (CMB)]

That is a very nice bow.  I love those stats, and that unstrung profile says fast.  I am glad you got this discussion started.  I have a vine maple stave with about 12" of reflex, half the reflex was already in the tree when I cut it,  the other half resulted during drying.  I have only tugged on it a little with a long string to check balance of limbs.  I showed it to John Strunk at the Pope and Young shoot last weekend and he said e had never tillered anything with that much relfex, but if it held together it should shoot fast.  I figure there is a reason he has never tillered anything with that much reflex...because it is too much.  He also mentioned a guy he new tackled a highly relexed stave by cutting into billets and then gluing up the splice in a way that introduced deflex at the handle.  I think that is the route I will go with this one, except maybe try steaming the deflex in. Hopefully, the deflex/reflex approach will me to keep some overall reflex, but not overstrain the limbs in tillering.

[mikekeswick]

Nice finished article. I think the key with these staves is as Badger said earlier keep a close eye on the weight the bow is pulling at a set distance when trying to brace for the first time.
CMB - I also would cut it in the middle and splice back together with deflex at the handle. Reflex/deflex bows shoot better than any other design in my opion.

[Marc St Louis]

Many of the heat-treated recurves I was making 10 years ago started out with at least 8" of reflex and some had 10" or more.  They are tricky to tiller till you get up to brace height and have the bow braced, tricky but not impossible.

[coaster500]

That bow turned out very nice!! Looks like it should pop an arrow real well

[tom sawyer]

Really nice work.  That bow has it all.