There are some really nice features showing on the bow now.
A big knot on the side has all but disappeared leaving a nice sort of figure of 8 swirl in the grain.
On the lower limb there is a knot protruding though the sapwood with a couple of small pins too, they all look nice and solid, the sap wood has been left thick there for extra security for the back of the bow, it's a fine balance, as too much extra will cause a stiff spot, which is dead weight and not contributing to the power.Once the bow is finished and polished these features will really stand out.
The sharp edge between side and back will of course be rounded and blended in a bit, it's a bit slab sided where the sides meet the back at the moment, but that's what gives a longbow some of it's D cross section.
I've just about pulled it to get the tips back to brace height on a long string, which is at about 50 pounds draw weight.The next step is to get a proper string on it at a reasonable brace height.
I think it will turn out to be a really good looking bow with just enough character to be interesting without spoiling the performance.
Update: I've had it on the tiller at a low brace, plenty of draw weight there. The upper limb is little weaker than the lower, but it just needed about 3mm off the belly of the lower limb over it's last 1/3 to get them looking better and the overall curve looking reasonable. Next step is to get it to full brace and cast a really critical eye over it.
The important bit is that the skinny top limb is looking ok despite being a whisker deeper than it is wide at one point, with no sign of try to bend sideways.
there is still plenty of draw weight such that the tip will get reduced slightly and become a perfectly normal cross section by the time it's fully tillered.
Damn cold out there today as there's not the bright sunshine we enjoyed yesterday.
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