Tillering ???

[Dan Landis]

Working on a snakey osage for my trade bow.  One limb has about 4" of reflex and is mostly straight with a little curve to it side to side.  The other limb is very snakey and has only about 1" or so of natural reflex and 1" of induced reflex. I've tried to induce more reflex but it won't seem to take.
My questions are:  Do I make the tillering saddle out of level to even the tips, or tiller it with the saddle level and the tips uneven?

[mikkekeswick]

Tips uneven and the imbalance should be present all the way through tillering. If you trace the profile of your stave onto something then every time you unstring it after exercising it check where the set is to make sure you are straining the limbs evenly. It takes some practise to be able to do this.  

The other option is to reduce the reflex on the 4" limb.
Selfbows work best when you don't start with loads of reflex. Wood just can't take it. The bow may not break but you lose lots of potential to excessive set.

[Bowjunkie]

Don't worry about one tip being in front of the other. Level the handle and while tillering, adjust relative limb strength so that the nock point comes straight down plumb and square to the handle/shelf... which we should be doing on every bow anyhow... regardless of their limb profiles.

[J.F. Miller]

I'll second reducing the excessive reflex. A 3" difference is too much a disparity to try to overcome.  I've done this a few times with favorable results. just did it last week. Use dry heat, of course, then tiller as usual.

[Dan Landis]

Thank You guys for the help.  I will reduce the reflex on the 4" limb and make sure my handle is level before tillering.