Ash Selfbow - my first

[YosemiteSam]

I can use some advice on this selfbow I started.  I decided to get an early start on the stave mwosborn sent me.   Here is the stave before I started scraping.

       

Because of the narrow width near what would be the fades, I ran parallel limbs a little over halfway.  So it's 70" T2T, 1.5" wide at the fades, parallel for 18" then tapering to 1/2" for the final 13".  Handle and fades are 8".
  There are some curves I figure I need to heat bend to line the tips with the handle.

     

Here's a front profile:

     

There is also a bit of deflex on the last third of the more snaky limb (bottom of picture).  It's not a lot but it's there.

 

 

So here are my questions as of now for those willing to help:

1. Having only tillered board bows, I've been using the tillering gizmo (pencil & wood block) method to create an even tiller.  Should the deflexed limb be tillered a little differently or is the amount of deflex not enough to worry about?  Is it worth bending this area straight before tillering?  Will a tillering gizmo work on this type of bow or is this more eyeball territory?

2. Should both limbs be bent to line up with the handle or would it be better to just bend one and get the line to intersect near the middle of the handle?

3.  Given the relatively narrow width, is it worth backing the bow with rawhide or something similar?

All thoughts and advice are welcome.

[Wolftrail]

All I can say is the biggest problem I have is twist and the bows I have with some twist do not shoot so well, unless the twist ends up center when shot, if you know what I mean.
Some bowyers have built character snaky bows that shoot well.  I have only built one Selfie and it shoots fantastic with offset limbs, so who knows.     :rolleyes:

[Pat B]

I would keep tillering until I got to first brace then figure out what and where to straighten. Once there you will see how the string tracks then you'll have a better idea.
Once you get to this point in the tillering process a stave bow and a board bow tiller the same. A Gizmo will work well on this bow.
At 1 1/2" wide and 70" long I don't think there is a reason for backing.

[mikkekeswick]

No need to back it, ash is incredible in tension. I would also advise trapping the back and heat treating the belly. Elliptical tiller and a gizmo will work. As you progress along the limb the bend should increase. Yes bend out the deflex when you first heat treat it.

[Wolftrail]

Originally posted by mikkekeswick:
No need to back it, ash is incredible in tension. I would also advise trapping the back and heat treating the belly. Elliptical tiller and a gizmo will work. As you progress along the limb the bend should increase. Yes bend out the deflex when you first heat treat it.

.......do you know of a good heat treating (DIY) tip online.?

[Dan Landis]

Dean, Volume #4 of the Bowyers Bible series has a chapter on heat treating bows.

[Pat B]

Mark St Louis wrote the chapter in TBBIV about tempering wood bows. If you don't have it already TBBIV is excellent info on wood bow building.