Thanks everyone for the positive input. Seeing what has been and what is in process here is a pleasure and wealth of information for me!! I always wanted to build a longbow, and after seeing for example, Richard's beautiful Ipe creations, I sought out and found a local source for a nice board. I bought a 1'x6'x10' clear board and was able to take 4' from the end and saw it into 4 equal 1-1/4" wide x 4' long pieces. I spliced 2 to make this one. Simply cut a foot from each end. It's just over 1-3/16" at the fades and straight tapers to a bit over 3/8" at the upper tip, and is 7/16'' at the bottom tip. The Ash was ripped from a stave that was destined for a flatbow, but I had no other backing, so I said "why not???". Because the Ash was really variable in thickness along it's entire length, it was tricky to tiller, but fun and challenging. I made a LOT of reddish brown shavings. If I get it back to my full draw and get a nice clean release, it casts a nice arrow. Not a screamer, but inside of 20 yds, I'd be confident to harvest a deer handily.
I want to thank everyone for helping me make this one a shooter !!!
