You have done a good job on this bow and especially with it being your 3rd attempt. It could bend a bit more near the fades but at the length of this bow, a stiff handle area is completely acceptable in my opinion. As far as hickory backed hickory, this can be an excellent combo as proven by Dan Perry, a world class champion flight shooter from Utah. Under the dry conditions of Utah, and other western states, hickory excels. If you live in a humid climate the tiller and draw weight can suffer with hickory. Saying that, hickory is one of my favorite bow woods. Pat