building a recurve selfbow

[dbcoopersurvivd]

i have a hickory stave about 60-70in long , about 4.5in wide at the top, 3.5 at the bottom, and 4.5in high ( the bottom is the side nearest the heartwood). i have a 28in draw and want about 55-65#. 65 preferably. i was thinking about backing it but sort of dont want to. i wanted the limbs to be sort of flat. so im guessing that i need to make the limbs wider toward the riser. i was wondering what are dimension characteristics that i should keep in mind, and if there are any good suggestions on how i should shave and tiller the bow into shape?

[limbcracker]

These directions are for a flat bow. You could also made an English style round bow from hickory. You'll want to cut it down to a stave 2" wide by 1.5 thick, leave if full length, 68 to 70 inches preferably, but 60 is doable, just made it a little thinner mid limb than I describe here. Cut you're stave out of the sapwood for hickory, or if you can line it up right, sapwood limbs with heartwood in the thicker part of the handle looks really nice. Cut it flat or biased grain is good (viewed from end), as long as two or three year rings run all the way, or most of the way down the side of the bow stave it should be good. For a 65# hickory bow I would leave the handle 12 long, cut it in to 1/2 each side to leave 1" wide, leave the handle 1.5 inches thick. The limbs should be cut pyramid style, tapering from 2" wide at the fades to 5/8" at the tips. For thickness, taper down from the handle fades over 6 inches to from 1.5" to 5/8ths, maintain that to 6 inches from the tips, then taper up to 3/4 thick at the tips. You don't need to back most hickory bows. But if it starts popping up slivers during tillering,you can glue some linen or other fabric on it. Good Luck. Kirk