I got a piece of narrow piece of black bamboo from Sal at MOJAM and I have the perfect piece of osage for it. The design I am envisioning is a Ref/Def bendy handled narrow bow, about 1 1/8" wide at the handle and tapering from there to the tips. I was thinking about 1" of deflex and 3" of reflex after glue up. I have never seen one like this, will it work or will it be like a big hinge right at the handle? I hate to waste the material if the design is a poor one. Thanks for any insight.
Cody
At 1 1/8" wide, you can build a regular stiff handled bow if you want. I've built them as narrow as 1" without any problem.
If you want a bending handle, your design should work fine. It will only hinge in the handle if you mess up on the tiller.
I agree with Keith, I have made 1" without a problem.