Hi Stan,
1) yes, that has been my experience. All wood will spring back, it is the amount of spring back that is tricky to judge. I find that thin shell does stay put reasonably well most of the time.
2) I have not had a stock crack when it moves easily. When I get to a place where the wood really starts to resist movement and I need more, I then contact the client and let him know that if I push farther the risk of breakage increases. I have had a few that I had to push much harder than I wanted too, never had one crack once the jig is set though.
On drop, the heel will need to move about 3 times as far(after spring back) as the comb, so to get an 1/8" of drop at the comb the heel will come down about 3/8". Drop is more difficult to bend than cast.
If you approach the job with realistic goals and use a bit of caution, you should be just fine.
Good luck!
Steve
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