need help with tip alignment(fixed w/pic)

[brownhillboy]

Hey everyone!  This is the osage I've been working on for a while now.  It's 58"ntn, asymetrical (a 1st for me), and a recurve.  Because of the way the grain ran in the stave, I had to lay the bow out in kind of a curved shape.  Actually, both limbs angle off to the left of the handle when you look from the belly side.  I have not shaped the handle at all, so that I could see what to do after I found out where the string falls on the handle.  It looks like it falls just down the left side of the fades, which would be quite a way from the handle if you put it in the middle of the limbs.  I would like for the string to fall a little to the left to make it more center-shot, but I think this is too much.  It also looks like the upper limb(longer) goes farther off center than the lower.  In the pic below the upper limb is on the left.  Tell me what you think and what is the best way to fix it.  Thanks for the help.

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[brownhillboy]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the lower limb also has just a little twist, right in the recurve.  I think you can see it in the pic(right side).

[George Tsoukalas]

So you haven't strung it yet? Smart move not to shape the handle yet. You can shap[e on side of the handle more to track the string better. It's hard for me  to tell where the string will lie until I string it at a low brace for the first time. Jawge

[brownhillboy]

Yes, George, I have strung the bow.  It is strung in the second pic.  It is pretty much fully tillered-55#@27".

[George Tsoukalas]

Is the limb twist excessive? As far as the handle is concerned just shape it so the string tracks better.  Can you take a pic of the tip twist? Jawge

[sailordad]

the recurve that you sais twisted,was that end twisted before you curved or only after?

you may be able to heat out the lateral misalignment if your lucky and patient

[brownhillboy]

The twist on the lower limb is very slight, and I think it was only there after I recurved it.  George, I just think it would look too wierd to shape the handle over on the wrong side(left).  I do sometimes cut them out on the right side when the string is down the middle of the handle, but not the other way.  Would it be too difficult to heat it at the fades and straighten things up a bit?

[broad_head]

Browhillboy
                How does the string track on the recurve parts of the limbs? these normally need dry heat bending to one side or the other to get it right, I just thought that this might improve the handle alignmen, if you have not done this yet.
             Peter (UK)

[Pappy]

You should be able to heat straighten that with no problem.Just clamp it in the handle area
and pull it down.I would heat it just out of the fads and pull it a little more than you want it
to go cause it will recover a little. 
   Pappy

[brownhillboy]

Peter, the string is tracking good off of the top limb and on the bottom limb it is just a little off, probably due to the slight twist in that tip.  I was thinking like you said to maybe heat it with the heat gun to remove the slight twist, and then do like Pappy said and heat it near the fades and clamp the handle down to straighten it further.  Thanks guys.

[broad_head]

Brownhillboy
                  Let us know how it goes, good luck.
                                                                        Peter (UK)

[brownhillboy]

Thanks Peter, I will.

[Marc St Louis]

If the string is tracking well on the recurves then if you mess with the handle it will throw off your string on the recurves and you will have to make corrections there also.

[brownhillboy]

Well guys, I'm happy!   I took Pappy's advice and along with some crisco, clamps, and my heat gun on the low setting, I was able to bring the limbs in enough to bring the string across the handle just a little to the left- which is what I was hoping for.  Now I can shape my handle and start putting a few arrows through this thing!  Thanks for the imput.  Here's a pic of what it looks like now.

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[Jesse]

Hey that looks much better