Making a hickory backed osage board bow. Got the backing down to a uniform 1/4". Was wondering what thickness do you recommend for the backing. I was thinking of 1/8" with a taper down to 1/16 at the tips. Osage is a uniform 5/8. I was planning to do a taper to 1/2 at the tips using a gradual 1/32 taper. How does this sound?
I like hickory backings cut to about 1/8" thick. I have never tapered a hickory backing and had great success with a parallel backing strip. I usually start with a 3/4" belly slat and remove wood until I get te bend and weight I want. I would rather tiller this way than guess about what thickness or taper. At 3/4" I can add a handle riser without worrying about it popping off.