Pat,
I did not induce any reflex into this bow because it had quite a bit to start with. Most of it, however, was lost during the tillering process. I have had similar problems with serviceberry checking and twisting, but not with this piece of wood. I’ve noticed that if the grain is twisted serviceberry will likely check and twist. I have had little problem with wood that is straight grained. I also had to bend the wood at the handle to get the string to align properly.
Makete,
The scales were left on. I was pretty skeptical about that at first, but they seem to be holding up fine. They do look pretty cool.
Thank you all for the wonderful compliments. Really though, I only made the canvas on which Brad performed his magic.