I'd had switched back from a compound to a recurves and longbows and had shot them for 6 years. I wanted a costom longbow but didn't have 500$ alot for the late 80's. No one in my area had built or knew of anyone that had built a bow. My friends laughed but they laughed when I went back to a recurves and longbows. Never really knew at the time I was taking another step bachwards. No real information like it is now. No internet or books that I knew of. The begainer's today don't know how good they have it. I was in the scouts when I was young and had a pamplet on indains and indain bows. I was'nt bow dumb I had dozzens of recurves and longbows and knew what a bow was surpose to look like.
So I got a BL fence post off a farmer I hunted on for $2. I made a 60 inch 1 1/4 wide.Thinking long bows i''ve seen. I but 2 layers of sinew on it. Thats what the indains did.NOT RECKAMENED FOR A BEGINER Later I made a second bow but longer,wider, both I still have and are shootable. Then I saw a add in NORTH AMERICAN HUNTER for PRIMITIVEARCHERY MAG. Then it was on. Through it I got a copy of the BENT STICK I never looked back. I've built every kind bows out of every kind of wood I coud find,buy,trade for. I've quit counting at 80 bows ago and that was 10 plus years ago.
It's not that hard people,today are far to much into to the tectical side of it. Remember the indains built and lived by the bow for 10,000 years and did it with stone tools. So you've got a major head start as far as tools go. You'll get better with exsperence. Have fun don't get caught up in all the hype. It surpose to be PRIMITIVE.