Open to suggestions for bow design

[DuBois]

Up until now I have pretty much just done whatever I want with whatever stave I get the urge to mess with and get whatever I get at the finish. Leads to a lot of contemplation and messing around with the stave and then ending up piking it or coming in light.
It is a different story to try to design a bow to someone else's wishes as stated before starting the bow and I have respect for those of you who do this routinely. I want to try to do whatever the consensus on here suggests to practice matching my work to someone else's request.

This stave is osage with 1/4" pristine sapwood back. 63" long and 1.5" at the widest. I took out a big tweakie section and this is what I got. What design would you all do on this one? Backing or no? Stiff handle or bendy?

[Joec123able]

I would keep it full length, stiff handle. Probably reflex the tips.

[Badger]

  The profile you have now is not bad at all. Is it oo late to remove the sapwood? Or is the bow allready thinned down. I know of several sapwood bows but I always prefer to remove it.

[sleek]

Thin that sapwood down to half its thickness before you do anything else. Chase a ring on it. Then at 63" ttt you got lots lf length to do a 28" draw stiffy. Id make a stiff handle, deflex out the fades and recurve the tips to make them set 1" below  the back of the handle. This reduces its set by a lot
 55#@28 and give her a high polish shine. Maybe a dark leather handle wrap and dark wood overlays.  Then promptly ship her to me

[sleek]

That stick on the right is bringing a tear to my eye...

[Joec123able]

Thin that sapwood down to half its thickness before you do anything else. Chase a ring on it. Then at 63" ttt you got lots lf length to do a 28" draw stiffy. Id make a stiff handle, deflex out the fades and recurve the tips to make them set 1" below  the back of the handle. This reduces its set by a lot
 55#@28 and give her a high polish shine. Maybe a dark leather handle wrap and dark wood overlays.  Then promptly ship her to me

Don't deflex a stave that naturally has reflex, take advantage of it!

[bubby]

Marco that looks like a good starting point, building to someone else's specs you just need draw length and ##'s and you still build what you see in the wood😉

[Stixnstones]

i agree with bub's, u gots this.

[DuBois]

Joe, slight reflex or radical?

Badger, it could be thinned a bit but not sure about all the sapwood at this point. It has the ring from peeling the bark right now.

LOLOL-Sleek
You know what you want right away don't ya. I'm gonna think over what you said a bit bud. That one on the right is my first attempt at the old fence post I fond at my Grandpas old farm. the chunk in between the staves is the top cut off the post. I'm planning to do a separate post for that once I get it all done. Amazing how long some osage can lay around outside. Got 2 more that are better yet.

Bubby, I didn't think about it like that but it makes sense. The wood and the bowyer dictate what bow you finally end up with as long as you can hit the weight and draw. I think I like that idea best of all 

Stix, I had originally thought it would be cool to keep sapwood for the contrasting colors, let it stay as it is for profile or maybe very slightly bring tips forward, put some white goat hide on the back, and make a 50#/28" bow.

[Stixnstones]

Doobs, love that idea. keep the color ya got and that handle wrap sounds perfect. that sap wood and belly color go together like pb & j.

[Knotty]

I actually vote for NO sapwood removal, it looks so beautiful combined with the heartwood.
Nature is giving you a natural lamination, take advantage of it 😉

[bubby]

I would leave the sapwood i know patb has posted sapwood osage bows😉

[DuBois]

OK then. I'll leave the sapwood.
What about backing. Any thought on if the sapwood can take it as well as heartwood, especially if the tips are flipped?

[sleek]

I do it all the time. Your fine.

[DuBois]

Ok, thanks Kevin