Advice please

[Arrowbuster]

  I started working this mulberry stave the other day. It has a serious dogleg to it. Im just curious how the seasoned vets would handle this?

[Arrowbuster]

knot where the bend is, bow is setting back down in pic.

[Arrowbuster]

What Im worried about is a hinge down where the knot is.

[bradsmith2010]

I would just keep the taper even,, making that part of the bow work, it would be easy to make the bow too thin where it starts to reflex coming out of the deflex,( cause it will "look" stiff), just keep your taper even and it will tiller out fine,,, don't worry  that it won't match the looks of the other limb,, it will shoot fine like that,,

[bentstick54]

I don't believe it is a hinge if it is a natural bend at the knot. It may give the appearance of a hinge, but I think of a hinge as a defect "created" by removing to much wood in a given area during tillering.
I have 2 Osage selfbows that have natural kinks in them, 1 with a knot, and 1 without, both about 50# @ 28" and they both shot great.
I like the uniqueness of them the way the stave split out of the tree.

[Arrowbuster]

Thanks guys

[Del the cat]

It is very difficult to get a good tiller with a limb like that because your eye wants to get an even curve at full draw.
The full draw shape must have that dogleg still visible... sort of superimposed onto the curve.
This post from my blog shows what I mean:-
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/belly-patch-bow-full-draw.html
A couple of tricks.
1. Get a long straight edge and hold it alongside the limb. Mark the limb along the straight edge (where possible) and use those marks to judge the curve.
2. Get you face up close to the tiller rig and look along the limb (like when floor tillering) to see how each bit is moving as you pull the rope back up and down.
Don't look at the static curve as much as how its actually moving.

Another trick to check if an area is actually flexing (at a knot) is to stick a couple off thin spills, skewers or whatever to the side of the bow pointing upwards as it's on the tiller. If they are say 6" long and say 3" apart you will see their tips moving easier than you'll see the actual bow flex. It magnifies the movement.
Del