one limb test?

[nclonghunter]

I have not seen this discussed, but I completed an Osage bow a couple years ago and it has some character to the limbs. The lower limb had a deflex in the last 6 inches and the top limb had a reflex in the last 6 inches. I tillered it as it was and the limbs appeared even when strung and drawn....life was good.

Reading all the heat bending posts I decided to make the lower limb reflex like the upper limb, so I used my new heat gun and put in the reflex in the last 6 inches. Now both limbs appeared even when un-strung. The crazy part was now when strung the bow does not match on both ends. The lower limb appears straighter and different than the upper limb. I did not remove any wood from either end.
I know I can re-tiller the limbs to match, BUT here is the question that I have;  Given the wood is the same. I wonder if I had "not" truly tillered the limbs to match to begin with, I just tillered them to "look right" to the eye.
If a bow was securely fastened into a vise and a scale was hooked to the knock end and then pulled 10 inches, should the opposite limb have the same pull when tested to the same specs.
We measure a bows pull weight by measuring the pull on both limbs. One could be 26 and the other 34 equaling a 60 pound bow. Perhaps by testing each limb to the same pull  is more important than seeing tiller that is pleasing to the eye. I know the lower limb is suppose to be slightly stronger and by testing the limbs individually this would be more accurate.
This will perhaps apply more to "character bows" than to board cut designs of near perfectly matching limbs.

Some of you may already test each limb separately beyond floor tillering. If so please share your method. If you have a character bow or even a non-character bow try testing the limbs separate with equal bend to see what weight they pull.

This was difficult for me to explain in writing, so I hope it makes sense.

[artcher1]

Your heat job stiffened the wood fibers of the lower tip preventing it from bending as it once did. No need to test limbs separate, you can do this by achieving even limb strain at full draw.........Art

[Marc St Louis]

The answer is more complicated than that. 

As Art said, the heat stiffened the limb up but even if you were to apply the same amount of heat to the upper limb it still wouldn't match.

What has happened is that by relocating the lower limb tip to match the upper limb it now needs more energy to move it to the same position it was previously

[Pat B]

With wood bows proper tiller is measured at full draw.  Also while tillering your goal is to get both limbs bending evenly and together.

[aznboi3644]

if one limb has a deflex tip and the other has a reflex tip...and you tiller so they look even at full draw and brace...the deflex tip limb is actually STRONGER due to less tip movement.  After you reflexed it the true strength of the limb shows.