51 is a short bow,and with the small diameter, it won't be very wide, so your draw length will have to be shorter and your draw weight lower than usual. If you make a bend-in-the-handle bow, you could probably draw it to 24 inches. The weight should probably be kept low- below 40, perhaps more like 30.the lower the weight, the less likely it will be to break, and unless you already shoot bows, you'll probably like a low-weight bow- you'll actually be able to concentrate on aiming, and not straining to reach full draw. one option for layout is to make it 1 1/2 wide for almost the whole length, with the last 4 inches or so narrowed to 1/2 inch tips. "back nocks" are what I use on all mine (no notches cut in for the string, but instead lash on a small chunk of wood on the back to hold the string). I would try to make the whole bow bend- no stiff handle or tips. pictures always help. small diameter staves are best when longer- I've made bows from staves less than 2 inches in dia, but they're 6 feet long. good luck!
