I have two scales, a hanging scale and the "portable" kind you draw the bow with. One is used to check the other and I go with the average, but to me, the number is just a number. If you use the faceted approach to tiller ala Dean Torges' writings however, you can sneak up on just about any weight. Some wood messes with you and you end up light, just trying to get the tiller right, (eg. your first R/D BBO bow?) I decided a long time ago to always try to err on the side of heavy. In other words, I try to get to tiller at a heavier weight and, if the bow is for me, see how it feels shooting it. If I feel comfortable shooting it, then I leave it alone. If it's too heavy, I scrape or sand a bit more along the side facets to reduce weight, then check/fix tiller along the belly facet. When it's for someone else, I prefer they see how it feels to them before we arrive at a weight that they enjoy shooting. We can always match arrows to the bow afterwards, especially if they are cane.