Backing not tapered

[Don Armstrong]

I can get hickory backing 3/16" but most say to taper it before glueing. Can I make a hickory board bow, tiller and then glue a 3/16" backing with reflex, then tiller by removing belly wood or will I run into problems. I don't have any equipment to taper the backing with any percision. Thanks, Don

[Pat B]

Don, I never tapered hickory backings. In some cases I have tapered the backing after it was glued on to aid in tillering.
   If you pre tiller your belly until you get a good even bend(4" to 6") in both limbs and they are close to each other you can then glue the combo up with about 2" to 3" of Perry reflex and end up, once shot in, with a flat(or slight reflex), good shooting bow.
   Perry reflex can be added to an untouched belly slat and backing strip but most of the reflex will be through the handle area with little or no reflex in the actual limbs unless you use a full length form.
   When I cut hickory backing strips I cut them to 3/16". By the time I clean up both surfaces I come out with a 1/8" thick backing strip. You can reduce the thickness, if necessary with a scraper or sanding block with coarse paper.   Pat

[Springbuck]

Listen to Pat.  I almost never taper hickory backs.

   One of the overlooked details of Perry reflexing is the rough tillering of your materials so that the induced reflex is pretty even to begin, but it does seem to help.  Getting the core/belly to bend evenly takes best advantage of the design.

  However, since the backing is thin enough to bend nicely, if the core is "tillered" the backing will conform nicely

  When backing really good belly wood, like osage or ipe, etc, that will "take" hickory as a backing (or bamboo) I don't mind if the thickness ratio toward the tips is heavy on the hickory, since i leave tips pretty stiff, and the hickory is lighter than ipe...

[Don Armstrong]

Thanks guys, I was hopeing I could do it that way. I have a spindle sander and could taper a little toward the tips if nessary but was hopeing I wouldn't have to taper the whole limb. Don

[Pat B]

Don, like I said, if you find the backing too thick while tillering or you just want the backing tapered a bit, you can do that after glue up. I have tillered from the back on a few hickory backed bows with no ill effects.
   I have used hickory backings on osage, ipe, yew, hickory, mulberry, locust and probably other woods and never bothered to taper the hickory backing first.  On bamboo it is different. If you don't cut the shape first then taper the backing it will be quite thick at the tips because of its crown. I don't think this is bad, except for appearance wise, because the boo is quite a bit lighter(physically) than most belly woods.

[Springbuck]

Steve Gardner (Badger) does it that way on purpose..