Thanks to all for the kind comments. It's good to be part of a board that doesn't spend more time bickering than providing good information and encouragement.
The bow (and my son's) started as a piece of 1"x4"x8', ripped down to 1"x1-3/4"x6'. I chose the lesser of the two so if there was a failure, it would be on mine and not my son's. Now just need to get him out in the shop to finish!
This weekend, the bow saw about 400+ more arrows run through it between my son, his friend, my daughter, and me. No problems and we were all sticking a 3-d deer target at 15-20 yards consistently. Still need to make a proper string, but the trot line is doing quite well with very little stretch, surprisingly.
I now have 5 more to build (or help build) for the youngsters. I'd rather teach them along the way so they are more invested in the final product, and can learn the skills to do it themselves. I'll be on here asking questions, so please don't get annoyed too much with me!!
Thanks to all.