I know very little about this but I met a fellow camping at Cloverdale last year who had a bow he said was Chinkapin. I remember it simply because I had never heard of Chinkapin before. It was long and wide as I recall and a real looker. I didn't get to see it shoot but he said he was happy with it and I figure that's all that matters since it's his bow! So if the bow I saw was truly Chinkapin then yes, you can make a bow from it. Hope you are as pleased with yours as the gentleman I met was with his!