More Work on the Bamboo Backed Yew

The rubber strapping has been taken off, the stave marked up and run through the bandsaw.
I'd glued it all up a bit oversize to allow for any misalignment in the splice of the bamboo backing.
It would be a mistake to have it all cut too precisely before glue up.

It's held some reflex which looks a bit uneven in the pic, mainly because the bow isn't fully shaped... trust me it will look great eventually!

I haven't done the temporary nocks or started to flex it much yet. I did flex it a little with one end supported on the floor, it feels like I should have enough poundage, but these things can be deceptive.

I've glued a piece of Yew onto the belly over the splice, where the grip will be. It's about 6.5" x 1/2" just to bulk it up a bit for the grip . It also hides the splice and will slightly stiffen the very centre. I'm going for a fairly rounded (full compass) tiller, as although it's a target bow, the guy has a good long draw and it's nice to build in some extra.

The glue is usually left overnight, but I've had the glued riser block curing above one of my bench lights all morning. The clamps are off now and it's indoors in the warm. I may get the temporary nocks on it this evening, but I won't flex it in earnest until tomorrow.

You can see in the right pic which shows the reflex, there is a dark knotty discoloured area in the Yew at the tip (nearest the camera). This knotty area is a bit stiff, but the tips of a bow don't flex much as there is little leverage there. It should become a nice decorative feature when the tips are slimmed down and it's all polished.

As I was coming out of the garage I noticed one of my winter visitors waking up for spring! The Peacock butterfly wandered about on the doorstep rather sleepily, but then the weather went chilly again and it went back in!