How should I bend this limb?

[ajbruggink]

Heh guys,

I'm working on a red elm stave and it had a natural reflex in one limb and is pretty straight on the other limb. I want this to be unbacked bow, my first instinct would be to steam the straight limb and bend it to match the other limb but I'm wondering if there's a better way to do it? Can I use direct heat to accomplish this, like a heat gun? Also, I worked the limbs' thickness down to about 3/4" all along their length, the straighter limb is slightly thicker right now, should I trim the thickness so it is like 3/4" from the fade-outs, 5/8" at mid limb and 3/8" at the tip or should I let the tillering process handle that? My goal is a 55 lb bow at 28" at 66" ttt, 64" ntn, right now its length is 70", I left it this long just in case, and its limb width from flares to mid-limb is 1 3/4", where it then tapers to 1/2", I have left the handle full width for now as well. Your replies and advice are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Aaron

p.s. the board in the pic is only to compare straightness

[Badger]

  I never measure thickness, I just take the limb down until it floor tillers nicely. ( this is usually about 20# heavy) Then I would put in on a cawl and heat both he limbs too match.

[Pat B]

I agree with Badger.
 Check my build along in the "Archives" section, "60" Elm Static Recurve". It has quite a bit about straightening, bending and tempering elm with a heat gun and olive oil. Any veg oil will work.

[bubby]

Yeah just even them up it's not near as bad as this http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,53350.0.html

[fiddler49]

Heat gun will work fine, Just get the limbs to floor tiller thickness, around a half inch thick. I took out 5 inches of deflex on a vine maple stave. It now has a 1/2" of deflex after 500 shoots. cheers fiddler49

[mikekeswick]

Personally I'd just make the bow. There is no need to have the limbs 'matched' if you don't want to. Reflexed limb would be my upper limb.

[ajbruggink]

Thanks for the replies

If I took mikekeswick's advice and didn't match the limbs, what would happen? I thought about matching the limbs because I thought tillering this stave would be more difficult this way. Am I wrong? How would the bow perform without the limbs matching?

Thanks,

Aaron

[bubby]

The bow will perform fine but the bow will be easier to tiller if the limbs match

[ajbruggink]

Well that's a good reason to do it for me, thanks bubby.

[Pat B]

It will be easier to tiller if both limbs are even but as long as both limbs bend evenly and together it really doesn't matter. You'll get the same end results.

[bubby]

Make sure you post pics 😉