need help for my first bow

[Qwertyuiop]

i need help building my first recurve bow. i was thinking about using red oak with rawhide backing and seperating the limbs and gluing them to the grip separatly to give the bow a w-like shape, but i dont know if i should glue the rawhide backing to just the limbs or the limbs and the handle and i also dont know if it should also be glued to the belly of the bow as well as the back. i dont even know how to glue the rawhide down, should i stretch it or something? ive been told that i should. ive also been told that if im using rawhide the grain of the wood has to be perfectly straight for the bow to work well. is this true? if anyone has any other suggestions to help me make my first bow please tell me

[El Destructo]

Is this Your First Bow ....ever??? If so....Just My Opinion.....You are diving way too deep! Your not just wanting a Recurve....You are wanting a Laminated Recurve with a Separately Built Up Riser....this isn't an easy challenge....it is one that I don't feel competent enough to guide you on....but I will say that....you don't need to Stretch the Rawhide to glue it down....just make sure that it is softened very good....and glue it down and wrap it with either Stretch Wrap or Inner Tube Strips till dry....as for Rawhide on the Belly....it would serve no purpose but to slow the Bow down....excess weight with no added compression qualities....and if you ever Rawhide a Bow....I suggest Rawhiding the whole Back...not just the Limbs.....J.M.O.

[Diligence]

I'm a newbie too, but I found lots of good reading on the web that will help you explore what you need to do....also, the public library near you might carry the book series, The Traditional Bowyers Bible (vol 1 thru vol 4).

http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/archer.html  ...START BY READING THIS ONE!!.... then decide what you don't understand - this is what I have tried to do.
 
http://www.bowyersworkshop.com/
http://www.geocities.com/salampsio/

Cheers,
D

[El Destructo]

I have all the Bowyer's Bibles....and about every other book available...but I am not ready to take on a Bow of James Parker's Caliber....not for many more years!! I will stick to my simple Stave Bows...or my Backed Boards.....and leave the Lamination Work to the Pro's for now

[Qwertyuiop]

yeah, i dont think im gonna make a recurve bow. in fact i might not be able to make a bow at all because my mom wont let me and there's no way i can convince her to let me make one but if i keep bugging her about she might let me make one. untill then im either not gonna make one at all or im gonna make a bow without her knowing

[smokeu]

I would start with something simple, and save yourself a lot of dissapointment.... And read and read and read. Make something simple first. I dont know anyone who has ever had a success on the fisrt try. Good luck to you and your endevor you will be more pleased and likely to keep building if you get some amount of success at the start of your bowmaking.