Tricky Tillering. Let me know how I've done so far.

[PrimitiveTim]

So I cut an ash branch a while back and it's pretty wonky.  I haven't worked anything quite like this.  It was basically deflexed and where the handle is the crown is very rounded... that's why this bow has a handle.  I steam bent the tips because of the natural deflex.  I uploaded a quick video of me drawing the bow so you can watch it bend.  Just click the link below.  The video is unlisted and It will only be up for a few days.  For those of you that have experience with this sort of thing I'm interested in what you have to say.

WARNING: Tribal nudity. LOL JK JK    just shirtless
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YY4f8B1PrM&feature=youtu.be


unbraced

[Pat B]

Tim, the top limb looks good but looks like a hinge just below the handle on the bottom limb plus mid limb is stiff.

[TimBo]

Boy, that bottom limb is tricky.  I am going to enjoy reading what people smarter than me think of this one...if it was me, I would get my calipers and check it just to see if there are any obvious thickness taper problems.  You could probably make some calipers out of turkey bones or something to stay more primitive!  The video is a great idea - I always wonder about getting tillering advice based on a still photo.  I agree that the upper limb looks good though.  It doesn't look too dissimilar in the braced photo, but it sure seems to want to bend differently from the bottom.

[wizardgoat]

big deflex coming out of the bottom limb is tricky.
I wouldn't say its hinging, for sure looks like mid limb in the bottom
needs to bend more

[bentstick54]

It looks to me like top limb is pretty good.
Lower limb looks to have a couple of natural kinks in it. They show both in braced and drawn views.
I have an Osage selfbow with similar situation. Snakes top limb with two "kinks" about 10" apart. They look like hinges but they are not. It's been my go to bow for 2-1/2years and thousands of arrows.
Try to get your lower limb bending more between the "kinks" but I don't think you want to worry to much about the kinks themselves.

[mikekeswick]

It's not hinged but the lower limb needs to work more in the middle. As mentioned calipers are your friend. You need the deflexed section near the handle to be thicker than if it wasn't deflexed but still blend nicely into the rest of the limb.
I would also lower the brace height a good chunk until you KNOW it's bending right! Another trick is to trace the side profile of the bow accurately (ideally before bending it), this allows you to exercise it, unstring and put it next to the line profile and see at a glance exactly where it has taken set. That info is gold dust when tillering character bows.
Good luck.