deflex in one limb--straighten or not?

[Dan R.]

Hello, I am new to the forum and pretty new to archery as well.  The last time I shot a bow, I was 15 (I'm 30 now) and I wasn't any good at it then.  My main hobby is making hand forged knives, which recently in a roundabout way led me to become interested in archery and bow making.  I have been watching a lot of videos and reading a lot about the subject, and  am currently working on my first bow, which has been a lot of fun so far.  I am at the floor tillering stage, and have a bit of a dilemma with the deflex in one limb.  (I hope I'm using that word correctly.) 

If I hold the back of the bow/stave flat against the wall, the end of one limb is 1-1/4 inches away from the wall.  The other is 5/8-inch away from the wall.  It actually doesn't sound like much now that I've measured it, but visually it looks like a significant bend in one limb, especially when I sight down the length of the stave from the side.  The difference from one limb to another is what worries me.

My question is, is this enough of a problem that I should straighten it, or should I just continue on with tillering?  I can deal with a little loss of performance since this is basically going to be a backyard plinking bow, as long the difference from one limb to the other won't cause problems with tillering or shooting the bow.

If it makes any difference, and for those that are interested, the bow is a 68-inch ash longbow.  The limbs are 1-1/2 inches wide, and currently a little over 1/2-inch thick.  Suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[bowandarrow473]

If it's natural deflex then I would try to even the limbs up some.

[bradsmith2010]

I would just tiller it,, things will change a bit in the process,, might possibly even out a bit ,,,, next time you can try some heat bending ect,,,, but getting a nice shooting bow seems possible from what you describe,, there are many opinions on how to make a bow,,, but working with what the stave gave you is good practice,, you will develop your own preferences as you gain skill,, there are other ways you could proceed,, but sometimes keeping it simple is a good start,, 

[Del the cat]

IMO. There is only one good reason to even it up... and that is to make it easier to see if the bend is even when tillering.
So it's up to you, if you leave it alone, just bear in mind, any asymmetry in the stave should also be visible at brace and full draw. E.G. Dont try to make an uneven stave look even at full draw.
Del

[Dances with squirrels]

Very good advice Del. Beginning bowyers should read that simple statement over and over until it is firmly embedded in their mind.

The way I set the bow up othe tillering tree, and how I use it to gauge relative limb strength, ensures limbs will realize equal strain, even if they appear different at rest.

If the bow is supported in the tillering tree cradle how it will be held by hand, while the string is drawn from the exact spot it will be drawn by hand, and then relative limb strength is adjusted so the nock point comes straight down perpendicular to the shelf/handle area, the limbs will be harmonized... even if they start at different positions relative to the handle.. I.e. 5/8" deflex vs. 1 1/4".

[Dan R.]

Thanks a lot for the advice, guys.  I am leaning towards straightening it to simplify the tillering process, and also because it would bug me if the limbs stayed asymmetrical.

[Springbuck]

I'm with Del.

[Dan R.]

I ended up deciding to go ahead with the tillering, and see what the wood wanted to do.  The limb with the deflex was actually a little stiffer.  At first my plan was to thin it out until it bent more than the other limb, but as I worked it the other limb started to take on more deflex/string follow until they were about even.  The original limb in question had two clusters of small knots, nothing major, but I figured it made sense to make that the bottom limb and leave it a little stiffer.  I don't know if that was the best way to go about it, but it looks like it will work.  I finished up the tillering this afternoon, and now I'm eagerly waiting for my Dacron B-50 and arrow making stuff to come in the mail. 

[wizardgoat]

Generally you want your full draw, braced and unbraced profiles to echo each other.
In other words, if you have a deflexed limb, it should look like its bending more than the other braced and drawn.
All your wood should be doing its share, even if it doesn't look right.
It sounds like you made a limb bend more to resemble your deflexed limb.
I'm sure your bow will be fine.

[Dan R.]

Generally you want your full draw, braced and unbraced profiles to echo each other.
In other words, if you have a deflexed limb, it should look like its bending more than the other braced and drawn.
All your wood should be doing its share, even if it doesn't look right.
It sounds like you made a limb bend more to resemble your deflexed limb.
I'm sure your bow will be fine.

At first I intended to make the deflexed limb bend more than the other, but like I said, they ended up with the same amount of deflex.  I'm not sure how it got that way or if I did something wrong to cause that, but the limbs are basically identical now when unbraced.

[wizardgoat]

It sounds like possibly you over stressed that limb and it took set.
I wouldn't worry about it, I'm sure you'll be making more

[George Tsoukalas]

Yes, it would be easier to tiller if both limbs are even. Remember that the limb with more reflex still has I bend as much so tiller would appear off but not be do. Good points above.

[Dances with squirrels]

I don't think it's any harder if they're shaped different. Whether they're the same or different, my tillering/timing method is exactly the same.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I like the appearance of even limb shapes. Just looks more clean to me, so Id even it up.