New hickory pyramid string slightly off center

[Vgo750]

Well i have it clamped up moved about a half inch after heating for about 15 minutes.  Ill give it about 30 minutes there before i take it out. Fingers crossed.

[Roy from Pa]

I'm thinking 1/2 inch was about twice what you needed. But you can always heat it and bend it back if needed.

[Vgo750]

I ended up leaving the board clamped up overnight as i forgot about it last night. This morning when unclamped every single bit of that 1/2" sprang back...back to where i started.

[Roy from Pa]

Then you did not get it hot enough. Did you thin the handle down first?

[Art B]

Now if'n you'd listened to me that wouldn't have happened    . Forget this clamping business. No way to judge what if any correction takes.

Now reheat the area you was working on, wedge it somewhere where you can get some leverage, and bend past straight (if you didn't get it hot enough you'll see no movement). OK, pull it out (however you have it wedged) and make sure your correction is PAST straight, somewhat. If it is, wedge it back up, and move it back to straight. Now it'll hold that correction. .......Art B

[Vgo750]

The handle is currently only 1 1/4" thick but i did not shape down to an 1" width wise...still at 2.5" wide entire 8" length of handle. Should i shape width wise too?  Tonight i will shape up handle width and heat the crap out of it for like 30 min or so and then try to bend again either wedge n leverage style or push n clamp style....

[Roy from Pa]

1 inch will bend and heat through  much easier than 2.5 inches will..

[Black Mockingbird]

I don't understand why you'd listen to an ole man who has never built a self bow(OK he built one with massive string follow...lol) ....if you still need to shape the handle to heat it,then shape it out like I mentioned and be done with this sillyness...then ya don't have to heat or nothing and it'll be FINE...

[Pat B]

You can remove the handle riser with heat, straighten the bow where it needs it and reglue the handle riser back down.
 I don't know how well maple reacts to heat straightening with dry heat because I've not tried. Steam might be a better option. Lots of whitewoods react better to steam than dry heat.

[John Scifres]

OK, we are getting off track here.  Paralysis by analysis is what I call it.

As this is one of your first bows, just start tillering.  If you feel the need, cut the nocks deeper on the side the string is tracking to and rasp your handle down on the other side to get it centered.  Then get back to tillering.