Thin section

[DC]

I'm working on a yew branch bow. Lots of knots and iffy grain. I decided to split the limbs so I knew which way the grain went. Mistake. Just out from the fades the split dove deep and left that part of the limb quite thin. I proceeded on hoping that there would eventually be enough wood there. When I got it floor tillered I was pretty sure I would have enough wood so I treated the area like a hinge and didn't scrape there. As I was tillering and exercising I could see it bending there and now that I'm close to the end, 23" going for 28 It's taking set there. I never scraped that spot until about 20". I'll avoid that spot from now on but is there something I should have done differently? I mean, I knew from square one that there was a weak spot but how do you tiller a bow like that? I had a Maple bow with a man made thin spot(hinge) so I glued a splint on the belly and continued on. It worked great and eventually the tillering removed the entire splint. I couldn't do that because the split was concave and grainy so I couldn't match it well enough to glue something on. No pictures because it now just looks like any unfinished bow.

[wizardgoat]

Ive made bow or 2 from a very thin stave, usually the B side from sawing a log in half.
One was very thin in the handle, barely an inch. I just reduced the stave to a good thickness taper and didn't aim for a weight.
So, if you have a thin spot to begin with, reduce the whole bow so its no longer a thin spot. I won't even think about bending a
bow until the thickness taper is as perfect as I can get. 

[mikekeswick]

You simply have to reduce the rest of the limb so that it isn't a thin spot anymore and have the mindset that I've already messed up and I get what I get out of it. If you try and tiller 'around it' then it is going to be overstrained by the time you get close to the end. As you found out.

[bjrogg]

I've done a couple like wizard and Mike. I didn't expect much thought they would probably just end up Kids bows but just roughed them out to where the thin spot was the same as rest of stave. Didn't even try to bend it. I was pleasantly surprised by what I ended up with. I think big thing is never to bend it when it's thin.
Bjrogg

[DC]

Thanks guys. It's kind of obvious once it's said. I don't know why I didn't think of that. Just getting old and brain dead I guess Thanks