Yes, I use this technique sometimes on wonky staves like that. Basically, it's hard to judge the tiller by eye when the stave is not straight. The dips and wiggles trick your eye. By drawing a straight line on the side of the bow and then bending the bow you can measure the deflection of the straight line. You hold a straight edge against the line and judge the gap between the straight edge and the curved line. If the straight lines have a consistent deflection then the limb is evenly stressed, despite what the character of the wood is doing.