How do I recurve a selfbow?.. How do I make a recurving form with only basic hand tools? What do I use to bend the seasoned stave. . a heat gun?

You can cut out the "caul" or form with a handsaw, Then you can either use steam, or dry heat from a heat gun and some clamps and bend any kind of curve you want to.

What thickness does the stave need to be before I attempt to bend it? Im using Locust..

I like to have them at least floor tillered before recurving, that generally means they can be recurved without breaking.

I've used a heat gun, steam, and boiled them. I prefer the heat gun.

The first question to be answered should be... Do you want to make a static recurve or one that works? Then... What size radius will you bend it into?

Here's one I did with a heat gun. I just used an old 2x6 I had laying around.

Regardless of the tools you use to make the caul, check to be sure that when it's done, the top surface is square to the sides.

I have two cauls. One I use for putting my static tips in. Another for straightening, inducing a little reflex in profile and heat treatment. First I get bow roughed out and floor tillered. Then I steam my tips. I have a thin metal strip I put on belly side of tip to keep from lifting splinters . The I put center of bow on center of second caul and using heat gun start from center and work each. This works for me although others have nicer adjustable cauls. I can do different length bows like this though. Bjrogg PS make sure you have everything ready. Gloves ,metal strip, clamps and a helper if possible. You have to do quick before stave cools down. Osage bends easy. Hophornbeam bends hard and likes to lift splinters. I haven't done a black locust

Here's my Two cauls. Front one tips back one straightening and profile. Bjrogg

See if I can find my steam kettle

For my steam I just use a old kettle that I notched the lid so a bow can fit in with lid tight. I also put some tin foil over lid and bow stave.

PS this isn't bow stave in picture just a piece of wood for pictures. Usually I like smooth rounded edges before bending

Every time I bend recurves one limb will crack, sometimes both. I have used steam on the last few. Most of the time I have plenty of wood to scrape off below the cracks, if not I add an over lay on the back of the bow to reinforce the curve. Sometimes the cracks go so deep the limb is toast.

I did this hickory bow a few days ago, one limb cracked but not too deeply. I added an osage overlay to reinforce the bend to be on the safe side. I am on the long string tillering this bow, it is not ready to string yet.

JD Jones makes some of the best static recurves I've ever seen or shot... he did a super tutorial on making one of his static tipped BBOs and I will include the link. You can use his method for a selfbow as well. Enjoy!

http://pinnacleselfbows.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Bamboo-Osage-Static-Recurve-Build-Along.pdf

-I tried to embed the link but that never works for me... ???

At MoJam many years ago we learned how to heat & bend limb tips using an old microwave oven.

The guys had cut holes in the door & in the back wall of the microwave, allowing to heat just the area needing bended. The bow went in the front & out the back...

Two minutes on high & it took twenty minutes to cool the wood.

Many jokes about glow in the dark bow, etc.

May seem unorthodox but it does work.

Yes I know I guy that does it with microwave.

Chance, I made quite a few static recurves out of hickory,osage and hackberry but not locust. If I did I would start out with it being about 3/4" wide and 1/2" thick. DBar

Clay Hayes has an excellent tutorial on it. Twisted stave media

Yes Clay Hayes was at the Classic last weekend and made a osage static recurve there. Haven't seen his utube stuff but I've heard from good sources he know what he's talking about. although you have been given some good advice above.

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