Eddie, John seems to favor this particular design and wood combination. I can see why now. He also makes a wicked boo backed yew static recurve - I'll be trying one of those soon also. I really like John's handle wrap, but eventually I'll have to come up with something I can call my own.
Thank you Sean, the Thunderbird finish does rub out well to make a nice finish.
Thank you Marius, I too like the profile on this modified r/d style. It is more pleasing to the eye than the straight limbs you get with the more commonly used design.
Thank you TF, with the reflex closer to the tips, the bow has a sort of pleasant recurve look. But don't let looks fool you, this bow shots as hard as anything I've built todate. I can understand now why John Strunk favors this design.
Thank you for the comments Dave, Joel, and shamus.
Manny, I've made a few highly reflexed bows and frankly I think they are more of a pain to make and deal with than they are worth. They are a *itch to tiller, a pain to string, tempermental, and I don't think they are much faster than a well made bow with a touch of follow.
Thank you all for your nice comments.