Glad you posted Stickbender, I have been looking at many examples, even seen some museum bows that have an unbelievebly sharp edge on the back corner. Perhaps they are display repos though. Most interpetations show the stiff outers that are chararteristic of keeping the limb thickness taper consistent right up to the wider nocks. Unless someone can point to originals with more radically thinned tips, I will be happy to go with the idea that generous width at the tips was intended to create stiffer tips. The only example I could find otherwise, was this from Al Herrin, with the tips brought around a bit more. As for stiffer handle sections, I do see a few examples In Alley and Hamm that show slightly thickened handles sections, although apparently not necessarily for narrowing. And as PD points out, stiffer handles makes for better shooters.
