Reporting back in... I DID eventually finish out this bow. I unfortunately thinned it down going by some measurements of another bow that is all hickory before bracing it, and it was pretty much a 35lb draw before tillering.
I find that tillering becomes harder and harder to get right the lower the poundage gets. At least that's my experience. The bow was eventually suffering from a hinge at ~30lbs, but shot quick with very little set. I think at 40 it would absolutely outperform my worn out 45lb all-hickory bow.
I learned a lot, including a new handle style and glue-on string nocks.
I plan to revisit this exact bow design once again after I have refined my tillering skills some more on basic board bows. This one has been set aside for reference at a later date.