Lots of natural reflex-how's tiller looking?...Finished pics

[GB]

I'm doing the final tillering on this buckthorn bow and I'm hoping it's pretty close to what it should be.  This stave dried into a little over 4" of reflex.  It's at 2 3/4" now and 2" after I shoot it for awhile.  Back to 2 3/4" after it rests.  Way more reflex than I'm used to working with.  It's at the weight I want, 45# and 64" NTN.
Gordon's vine maple build along was a great help to me.  Getting it to low brace was a bear.  I've put 100 arrows thru it and I do like the way it shoots.

[stuckinthemud]

Love the shape of that, is there an un-strung photo?

[loon]

I second the above, it looks very nice. Is the bottom limb bending more or differently?

[GB]

Thanks...knew I forgot something.  I'll post an unbraced pic asap.

[Badger]

 Thats a beauty!!

[BowEd]

Nice job GB.Looking good.It's holding it's own pretty good.I use a couple of leather booties on each end of a  6' clothes string to string those kind up.Anything over 4".

[GB]

Thanks Steve!  It means a lot to me coming from a guy who has made as many bows as you have.

Loon, yeah, it looks that way to me, too.  At brace the tiller is dead even.  Looks like the bottom limb opens up more at f/d.  But if it shoots nice, I'm one of those "close enough" guys.
I'll post those pics in a few minutes.

[loon]

Korean bows always seem to have more bend in the lower limb for some reason.. maybe they were into something.. O_o

[GB]

Thanks Ed!  I'll remember that tip for the other half of the log.  I'm going to try to make a backwards bow out of it, with the heartwood as the back and the outside of the tree as the belly.  If it makes it past floor tiller I'm going to back it with cherry bark.
Here it is hanging from my lovely basement door.

[GB]

Hope that applies to my Made in USA bow, loon.
Guess I'll shoot it more and see if it starts taking set there.  Thanks for your input!

[Marc St Louis]

Nice bow.  The reason the tiller looks odd is because the bottom limb seems to bend differently than the top limb.  That could be just the camera angle though.  If it feels good while you are drawing it then that should be enough

[penderbender]

Very nice looking bow GB! Love that side profile. Cheers- Brendan

[bradsmith2010]

I think its lookin good,, bet it shoots nice

[Ippus]

Looks great!

[GB]

Thanks for your take on it, Marc.  I'll take a couple more pics and double check the camera angle.  I think you're right about the bottom limb bending differently than the top, though.  I haven't made a lot of selfbows, but this is the oddest stave I've worked on so far.  The top limb has a higher crown than the bottom and was naturally deflexed a few inches from the tip.  I tried steaming a little reflex in it to even it with the bottom limb, but it didn't hold.  I gave up on it for a few weeks.  Then I heat treated the outer 8" and glued cherry bark underlays on both tips.  I like the way it stiffened the top limb tip, but...Anyway, I'll shoot it more and see how the tiller holds up.