Advise Please-Curved Stave

[SamIAm]

I need some advise here on a curved hickory stave that I'm working on.  This will hopefully be my first completed selfbow.  Just got back from MOJam and being "pumped up" got started working early this week.  As you can see from the first picture the stave (which I've taken down to about 1 inch thickness, maybe a little less) has a very nice natural reflex.  That's the good part.  As you can see from picture two, the stave has quite a bit of curve as you look down the length of the bow.  My question is, do I bend it to straighten it now or do I go ahead and cut the profile and then bend it.  Or finally do I just not bend it at all and try to "fit" the bow on the existing stave, which I don't really think is possible since I will need limbs with a minimum inch and a half width and I would be concerned about cutting across grain.  Anyway, that's the situation.  Lennie at MoJam told me to always bend less wood when possible but I'm uncertain about drawing the profile on the curved stave, cutting it out and then trying to straighten it.  What say ye all?

[osage outlaw]

Follow the grain of the wood when laying out the profile of your bow.  If it curves, follow the curve.  I like to rough out my bow and get it to floor tiller stage before heat bending.  Less mass is easier to heat and bend.  Your stave isn't bad at all.  That should be an easy fix.

[nonose]

lay it out cut it out the bend

[lebhuntfish]

Follow the grain of the wood when laying out the profile of your bow.  If it curves, follow the curve.  I like to rough out my bow and get it to floor tiller stage before heat bending.  Less mass is easier to heat and bend.  Your stave isn't bad at all.  That should be an easy fix.

That's exactly what I would do! Sam, did you see that crooked ansi state that I straightened at mojam? There is a pic of it clamped  in a jig on the mojam picture page. Straightg isn't too bad just to line up the trust Patrick

[wizardgoat]

I'd cut the profile, floor tiller, and try to get your string alligned from steaming and clamping the handle section

[blackhawk]

With that being hickory and being close enough to straight you could prob cheat n fudge yiur line over and forego the heat correction....it also looks like the string would still be on the handle for now,and I'd continue to get it to low brace then see where the string lies...you won't know until ya string it anyways...with that being said hickory likes to be heat treated and you can fix it then while you temper it if it needs to be fixed...I temper mine right before I'm ready to brace it and have 10-15 pounds left ...it'll make corrections that much easier having the least amount of wood possible

[SamIAm]

Thanks gents.  Great help as usual.  I'll draw it up following the curve this morning and cut it......very carefully.  First time to use my new bandsaw.   I'll be cutting it "wide."  Already made a small boo-boo on the handle, nothing I can't fix.     You know, you'd think a simple selfbow would be easier to make.  My first bow was a laminated take down recurve and I believe it was easier.  Lots of learning opportunities.