Is it set?

[stuckinthemud]

Is it set when a stave seasons and warps into reflex, then as you tiller, the reflex pulls out and the bow goes back to being straight?

[Hamish]

It is set in my book. I always go by what the stave looks like before tillering, compared with what happens after. It might be set, but not necessarily string follow. A stave that was naturally deflexed yet takes barely any set, still looks to anyone that didn't know what the stave originally looked like, is perceived as a bow that has taken string follow.
You are a very experienced bowyer, is this some kind of crazy trick question? If a tree falls in the forest, and it happens to be osage...

[stuckinthemud]

Nope, I never worked with a reflexed stave, except once as a much less experienced bowyer, and now I have head space to consider things I didn’t think about before.  My question goes like this.  If Set is caused by compression damage then is returning a stave to its original shape actually causing compression damage or is the stave just going back to it’s grown shape, ie not receiving damage, just being straightened? This has greater relevance as I never yet deliberately reflexed a stave before tillering, so, does heating in reflex before tillering reduce compression damage during early tillering?

My current idea is that by taking those cells that have been stretched by warping (and compressed on the back) and returning them to nearer their grown shape, you are not causing set but I would welcome other opinions on this.

[Selfbowman]

Ok if the bow blank does not change before heat is applied . Then I would say no to set . I also think when we apply heat to the bow blank and change its shape not all of the changes hold a hundred percent. Some just pulls out. I’ve noticed that  natural reflex in Osage does not change from stave to bow blank unless maybe the stave is not completely dry.so anything after that is set. Just an opinion.