Tillering for extreme reflex

[BigWapiti]

Cut this vine maple in half and trimmed it close to shape - left it sit for a few days and came back to find this...  a little bit of reflex in this vine.   Where would you start on something like this?  (yea, I know, for my first bows, I really should be trying something easier than vine maple, but its too much fun and its definitely keeping my mind of work in the evenings. )  Should this be steamed into a more workable shape first, or ?  Thanks!  -Mike


[attachment deleted by admin]

[koan]

Mike, i had an osage like that and the first thing the Guru's(Gary Davis) told me was to take some reflex out. Alot easier to tiller for me and it retained all of the 3 in. of reflex we left in it even after much shooting.Came right back immediately after unstringing too.....Brian

[koan]

Oh ya, used a heat gun and Gary's form

[Jbell]

Thats way to much reflex and it is pretty uneven. That stave definately needs to go on a caul.  Use dry heat if it is a dry stave and steam if it still has quite a bit of moisture left in it. Good luck taming that beast.  BTW, I would leave on the caul for good while till the moisture content stabilizes, unless it is already pretty dry.

[BigWapiti]

Yeah, its pretty dry.  I'm hoping the heat gun I requested from Mrs Santa comes through.

[Pappy]

The trouble with a reflexed stave like that is it will really fool you on the weight while floor
tillering and first getting it braced.So go slow,you will think it is a lot heavier than it is because
of the early draw weight.
  Pappy

[Marc St Louis]

I wouldn't take any reflex out but would work the bow in a wood vise instead. Just clamp it sideways in the vise, tiller and work the limbs to well past brace height. It will lose a lot of that reflex as you do that