Snaky limb Osage longbow dumb question….

[highpoint]

If I sight down the upper bow tip and string line, the centerline of the bow/string/tips remain straight but my upper limb wanders left (while holding it towards target) or if viewed unstrung laid flat on the floor, facing me by a few degrees. Does this affect the bow in any way? Bow shoots ok but it's a bit slow for the arrows I worked up, and will try a lighter arrow next. Seems to shoot straight though. I'd like to add a calf hair rest to the shelf to protect it. Like on my BW bows, and is that ok?

[Pat B]

Snaky bows can be difficult to tiller and don't always lay out perfectly. A few pics would help understand exactly what the situation is. Generally speaking with a selfbow if the string crosses the handle and both limbs are bending evenly and together the bow should shoot well.
 Adding a rug on the shelf should adversely affect the shooting but you might have to adjust the nocking point.

[highpoint]

I think it shoots fine after adding the small BW calf hair rest trimmed to fit. Limbs bend evenly pretty certain, I have more issue with the square grip than anything else. Bow pushes counterclockwise at release unless you choke it like a snake.

i'll take some pics. Thanks for the response.

[Pat B]

You should be able to round over the handle to make it more comfortable. Looking forward to seeing the pics.

[highpoint]

I think radius the corners of the shelf, under the leather wrapped handle which I can hopefully get off unless the glue is serious stuff. I could also ask the bowyer who made it if removal at the handle will affect anything. i'd think not. I have rather large hands and i've never had a grip bother me from BW or my JD Berry bows.

I also notice quite a bit of handshock in my grip fingers, also something I have never experienced ever.

[Pat B]

You could also pack out the belly and/or the back with leather or cork and that could make it more comfortable by eliminating the edges.
 This is how I do it with leather.






this is how it looks finished with a basket cane wrap and a Ferret's floppy Rest, my all time favorite rest.

[highpoint]

Good idea!
The bow maker said you can round it at the back not the face.

[Pat B]

First off I think what you are calling the face is the back of the bows, away from the shooter. The inside is the belly, towards the shooter.
If it is a bending handle bow it would be unsafe to round off the back edges too much but a little shouldn't hurt. If it is a non-bending handle the handle is not working and is basically dead wood so rounding it off shouldn't be a problem.
Will you post pics of the bow?

[highpoint]

Here is the bowyer's response....."HI, you should be fine.  Unless the bow bends through the handle, the handle doesn't do any work.  I shape the handles to fit my hand and of course that is not going to work for everybody.  I just wouldn't do much work on the face of the bow because that needs to be one single growth ring the length of the bow....."

[Pat B]

What he is calling the face is actually the back of the bow and even in a bendy handle bow rounding off the edges should adversely affect the bow. Back in the 40s and 50s it was suggested to round all edges to the radius of a pea. That is about a 1/4" radius.

[highpoint]

Pic of bow on floor, it rocked slightly to the right.

[Pat B]

Will you show a side view braced and a full draw pic? So far she looks good.

[highpoint]

Will you show a side view braced and a full draw pic? So far she looks good.

[highpoint]

Brace height.

[Pat B]

Very nice. The outer limbs could open up a little more but other than that she looks very good.
 I have a problem with the visuals of R/D bows where the outer 1/3 of the limbs don't bend. That might just be my idiosyncrasy. 

[highpoint]

I still hate the grip, it's square and if I choke the hell out of it like a snake my arrows are accurate. Gotta do something about it. Hand shock is bad too unless I choke the grip to death.

[Bowjunkie]

We would also need an unbraced side profile as a baseline before an accurate assessment could be made. What is its starting point?