So, I got myself a 56 piece of naturally reflexed black locust, looking to make it into a recurve with a mildly bendy handle, 40-50# @26. My questions are 1.) is this weight/draw length combo feasible for BL? I can go 1 3/8" in the handle and 1 1/2" a bit further towards the tips. and 2.) Should I back it? This piece is, overall, very clean. However it does have two small pin knots (pins are out, so just a hole now) and I also had a bit of grain tear-out while chasing the ring
, as it was my first experience with a 'heartwood' stave. The tears are generally in the top limb, close to center and there are 3, each one maybe 4-5" long and about 1/16-1/32" wide and deep. They *probably* don't go all the way through the back ring, and I think are also done tearing. Is this kind of back violation ok, or is it pretty certain to blow up my face if I don't slap something on it?
This pic shows one of the pin knots before the pin popped out, and you can kind of see a grain tear-out near the top, as well as some tool marks.
Also, anyone out there have thought on tillering a bendy handle recurve? Working recurves or static? get the outer limbs moving first or not?
Bonus: Oregon might not have Osage, but this is the only orange wood I need!
Some super-clean Ocean Spray billets I got while out mushrooming in the coast range.