Beech bow advice

[Robbo]

Hi folks, I managed to get 6 bow staves forma beech limb last weekend when i was out cutting firewood.

I'm planning on trying to make longbows and flat bows out of them, but they'll require a bit of straightneing first so my question is this;

Does steam bending beech weaken the wood? I've heard that it may reduce its tensile strength?

I coiuld try using dry heat to bend it but I've always have more luck with steam.

Thanks

Andy