is my project doomed from the start?

[Del the cat]

sounds like you are getting there. At those low draw weights and thin limbs, a bow can take a good old bend before failing.
Mind they always wait unit that last inch of draw before exploding!
I think the caliper test is a good idea. Slow and steady in these final stages.
Del

[ajooter]

What a great build to follow along with!  Keep at it!

[MushinMan97]

Thanks for posting this! It looks great! I'm starting into a black locust stave for my 2nd bow, and this is giving me hope and some ideas on how i want to go about it. Albeit mine is a skosh shorter.

[Zugul]

What a great build to follow along with!  Keep at it!

Thanks, it's really nice to know I'm entertaining someone with this build!

Thanks for posting this! It looks great! I'm starting into a black locust stave for my 2nd bow, and this is giving me hope and some ideas on how i want to go about it. Albeit mine is a skosh shorter.

good to know, I hope to see you make a thread about it! Just my 2 cents, spend all the time you need to get a near perfect thickness taper from the start, even if it's not going to be the final one. Having absolutely no thick spots or weak ones will greatly improve your chances of success. Good luck!