1/2 HLD?

[upstatenybowyer]

Let's say you have an osage stave with a high crown, but it has a weathering check that runs almost exactly 1/2 the length.

An HLD would be not be smart on the half with the check due to obvious reasons, but could you hollow out the other limb and make the checked limb flat?

Would there be any benefit to doing this as opposed to just going with a flatbow?

If so, which limb should get the HLD? Top or bottom?

[Springbuck]

  Where is the check?  Belly side, one limb?  Not familiar with a weathering check, I guess.

  Is that from when the tree was alive and healed, or a drying check?

[Eric Krewson]

I believe it is what we call a wind shake.

[upstatenybowyer]

Sorry, it's on the back side running straight down the middle.

These are funny questions, I know, but what they really are asking is...

Is an HLD a better performing design for a high-crowned stave? And if so, is it worth getting only 1/2 the performance benefit? And if so, which limb should get the increased performance? 

[leonwood]

As far as high crown goes, a HLD will give you the opportunity to use wider limbs than a "normal" high crown flat bow. On lesser bow woods this will really help keep the set to a minimum.

One HLD limb will probably be lighter in mass compared to the other so I guess it might give you some trouble balancing it out. This is just a wild guess of course, could well be that it works perfectly fine!