TBod, The Argentine osage slats I added to the belly butts together at the handle and ran to the recurves until I re-tillered the bow. I added a thin piece of ERC over that joint to secure it and to pack out the handle a bit on the belly. I used leather to pack out on the back. You can see the ERC sticking out from under the handle wrap on the belly. This bow bends in the handle at full draw.