Hello dbscott, 3rivers archery has numerous videos and books on building many different kinds of bows, Have you decided what kind of longbow you desire to build? I was in your shoes a few years back and found 3rivers to be my favorite source for quality information…I’ve built a few different kinds and found none that I tried would be beyond the scope of most handy people..Give it a whirl , you might just suprise yourself….Good luck,Steve.

Where do you call home. Different woods are more available in different parts of the country.

ch

I have a DVD from bingham projects but that is a laminated longbow, I also thing that traditional bowyers bible makes DVD’s, if they do 3rivers is the place to go.

Go to Bignham’s website. Their videos are excellent and they offer plans for several different varieties of bows. I’ve had nothing but excellent service from them.

I personally don’t care much for black walnut as a riser wood, especially where longbows are concerned. Compared to most customary exotics, or even a domestic hardwood like maple, walnut is somewhat brittle.

Ok, I thought you were talking about self bows. I don’t have any experience with glass but have built quite a few all wood bows.

You’re right in the heart of Osage country. In my opinion, it’s the best wood around for selfbows. If you are interested in selfbows, let us know.

Third week of March is the Oklahoma Selfbow Jamboree by Stillwater. Great place to spend four days building and shooting bows. If you attend the Expo look for the Oklahoma Selfbow Society. I think they are going to have a booth there. Tell them I sent ya.

Not all laminated bows use glass. You can glue a bamboo or Hickory backing onto a slat and put it into a form to cure. You can use a flat, reflex, or deflex/reflex form.

I’ll look for some links.

Dennis

Dido what Aeronut said. If you can make it to the jamboree, there’s always plenty of guys at those type events that are happy to help a beginner. Be warned though; bow making is a powerfull addiction. 😆

I was going to say the last time I visited Oklahoma I was amazed at the number of “Horse Apple” or “Osage Orange” trees growing everywhere. That ought to be a self bow builders heaven. I use hickory because it is common to the east where I live and it is very forgiving of grain violation. I have read that one must be more careful of the grain in Osage.
I would suggest trying a self bow or two and then work your way into the laminated bows. Ditto on 3 Rivers library selections. A lot of good info there especially the Traditional Bowyers Bibles. Good luck with your project.