advice needed on current build

[TroyH]

Ok, I'm in the process of another osage self bow.  The profile has been cut out, but when I went to cut down some limb thickness and cut out the handle area, I knew I was going to have a problem, maybe.  The limbs are ok, currently at 3/4" ready for floor tiller.  The problem was when the stave was split, it was borderline too small, and I ended up with not enough material for the handle area.  What I ended up doing was just taking the cut on the limbs straight across the handle area.  Now I have a handle area that is between 1 3/8" and 1 1/2" wide and 3/4" thick.  I assume that is enough for a D bow, bend in the handle style bow, or my other option is to glue in more handle material.  What would you do?
I've included a picture, because a picture is worth 1000 words, and I don't know that I've made this perfectly clear.  Here is a side view of the handle area.  You can barely see my pencil marks.

   

[Brent Hill]

I had the same issue and kept the handle width as it was as versus slimming it down on the sides in order to keep the handle portion as solid as it can be without flex or bend.   I then glued a separate piece (red oak because it was handy) to build up the handle.  I used a slow curing epoxy that I bought a lowes because I had a handle pop off with TB #.  Still building on the bow so this may pop off to but I'm feeling better about the bow.  Good luck.

[TroyH]

I'm thinking I'm going to build up the handle with a piece of osage (I keep a lot of scraps) and attach it with 2 ton epoxy.

[Pat B]

Here is a bend through the handle osage with static recurves I made a few years ago. I built up the handle area(bulbous) with thick shoe leather and it flexes with the bow.
The bow is 60" t/t and pulls 47#@26".It is 1 1/4" wide at the fades and 1 1/8" at the beginning of the static tips. The 4" handle area is 3/4" thick.
 
 
 

[walkabout]

a bend through handle will be a little easier to tiller,but you could always add a seperate handle/riser.usually handles that pop off are because of fades not being smooth enough or bad glue up, sometimes theyre because the bow is bending too much toward the fades. good luck

[Innocente]

pat, that's the shape i have in my head when  i build a bow.  man that's a BOW SHAPE.  

on a side note that beard is about 15 minutes growth from full on mountain man.

[scrub-buster]

That is one sweet looking bow PatB.

[Pat B]

Thanks guys. It has cherry bark backing. I opted to leave the mosses and lichens attached to the bark instead of exposing the coppery colored bark.
  I've had the beard for over 40 years now! Only lived in the mountains for 20. d;^)