Question about overlays on selfbows

[Stickhead]

I've added a few overlays to my selfbows, but I'm always leary of filing down the back of the tips beyond the outer growth ring.  It seems like this would make a weak point at the bottom edge of the overlay.  I see lots of pics of beautiful bows whose tips are filed off at a sharp angle, clearly past several rings.  The overlay itself will protect the wood underneath it, of course, but why don't these tips break at the base of the overlay where the ring is violated?

Is there a trick to this, or is the stress at that point low enough that it's not a problem?

-Tom

[Pappy]

I alway file my nocks in before I put the overlays on but never violate the back,just file the sides,then glue the overlay over that and refile the nock grooves ,never getting to the back of the bow,it has low tension there anyway and anything beyond the nock grooves don't do anything.
   Pappy

[Aries]

I have just recently started doing the sharp angle thing. The first couple of bows i did it on were red oak. I sanded the tips down to about a 20 degree angle and glued on osage overlays.  I think that possibly because we tiller the bows to have stiff tips there isn't as much tension stress on the back side of the tips as there is at mid limb there for having a "covered" ring violation is acceptable. IMO

[Hillbilly]

I've done them all sorts of ways, including the grinding on an angle, and never had a single problem.

[Gordon]

As long as the tips do not flex, this practice is fine.

[Stickhead]

Good info.  Thanks, y'all.

[HatchA]

Stick...  Thanks for asking this, I was thinking the very same thing recently while looking through some of the bows these fellows have created.

Thanks for all the answers and info too, guys.

[Jesse]

the overlay actually holds down the outer ring as well because it covers it. The outer ring or layer extends under the overlay so the point where its through to the next ring or layer is well protected under the overlay. I sand the tips at an angle on boo backed bows and I think its safer than just making a flat spot because when at an angle the overlay goes all the way to the original surface of the back. When string tension is applied its like clamping the back down with the overlay.  The only way I could see this being a problem is if it was bending hard at the tip and the back ring was extremely thin.      Just my opinion though