questions about 48'' sinew backed hickory

[tsa yo ga]

Happy new year friends!!

I'm getting ready to begin tillering on a 48'' sinew backed hickory bow. It was steam bent in an attempt to recreate a plains style double curve bow, but one limb is slightly reflexed while the other has a slight curve still after two months of cureing. The bows limbs are assymetrical now, but i feel like they may get better once i get them bending. The handle is set back. It is barely floor tillered, and i've read that tillering a bow with reflex can be tricky.  Apparently, it can make you believe the bow is still too strong, and then you scrape some more and it's too light.  Any suggestions? 

Also. the limb tips are about 1/2" wide.  I have never cut nocks on such narrow tips, and don't want to make them too weak.  I thought about wrap on nocks of sinew, how do ya'll do yours?   

[sailordad]

i cant answer most of your q's
but half inch isnt narrow for tips

[FVR]

I made one like this but left my limb tips at 3/4" and just filed two straight notches on each end.

I have on flatbows wrapped sinew on the limb tips for nocks.  I criss cross wrap then let dry for an hour, then I press the string into the sinew and allow it to dry like that.  The sinew will form to the string loops.  You really need to make sure you seal the nocks to make sure no moisture gets in.

I have found that with short sinew backed bows, sometimes when you first string it, it may look a little off but when you draw the bow back it all falls into place.

Alot of times with these short bows, you can adjust the tiller by just warming and bending around your knee.  But if you are not carefull you can mess it all up.

You really need to post some pics so we can see.

[1/2primitive]

For the asymmetrical limbs, I think the best way to fix it is to add more sinew to one limb to balance it out. Of course, tillering it correctly can get the limbs bending equally, but the sinew would make them both start from the same place, if you get what I mean. That would also mean extra drying time, though.
On tillering with the reflex, yes, it can be tricky. The f/d curve is a usually a bit different than a straight bow, so it'll seem like it's heading for too high a draw weight, when in reality, it's going to be too light.

1/2" for the tips is leaving plenty of room and more than enough strength. You could add some sinew wrapped nocks, but it's not necessary for strength.
For that style bow, it was common to have two side nocks on the bottom, and one on top. Not pairs, just one nock on one side of the bow for the top, and two (one pair) for the bottom. There are other ways to do them, of course, but that's how I usually do mine when working on a plains horse bow.
        Sean