Little help please??

[SteveP]

OK so I am new to bow building (big suprise huh) I have built a couple board bows (by lurking and reading all the great stuff posted here) and found that to be very rewarding and a ton of fun so I figured I would go ahead and get a few staves and give it a shot. That being said I have a good handfull of nice osage and a couple of HUGE hickory staves to work with.

Now to the question... so I had a short osage stave and thought I would build a smaller short draw bow for my son. Well I have the rough shape and a ring chased down, but the string center moved on me. I am 5/16" off center and really don't know how to get back to good with it. So that is where I am. Can I get away with it??? DO I neeed to bend it back, and if so how??? This is going to be 47" ntn and draw to 20" or so at 20... or at least that is what I am trying for.

Steve

[Pat B]

You won't be able to tell where the string lies until you brace the bow. Where it lies before that is irrelevant. With a selfbow the string can even lay outside the handle and the bow will still shoot fine with the proper arrows. It is not as critical as with lam bows...and especially with low draw weight and draw length.
  After you have begun tillering and the string is still not where you want it to lie you can remove wood from one side of the outer limb or even the handle area(if there is enough there) or with heat to bend the bow so the string lines up. You probably won't get a center shot selfbow and there is no need for a center shot bow if properly spined arrows are used.

[SteveP]

Ok great... I was really worried, and thought that I was about to have a giant issue on my hands, really appreciate the quick reply. I'll go back to work on it in the morning.

Steve

[Tom Leemans]

What Pat said. Heck if I were to leave the string a mere 5/16" off center, I'd for sure know which limb was the upper! See how it acts when you get a string on it. If it stays in the nocks just fine and it's only off that much, I'd leave it, especially as a kids bow.