Sooner or later the enthusiastic archer gets the desire to craft his own recurve bow. His reasons may be economical or experimental, but whatever they are, his skill as a craftsman should be equal to his enthusiasm or his venture into recurve bow-making which could prove dismal and costly.
There are several woods that are suitable for bow-making, among them hickory, Osage orange, yew and lemonwood. However, maple is the most common core wood used in glass-faced and backed bows because it is a consistently hard dense wood, very straight-grained, and readily available in good clear grades. The beginner is wise to use maple rather than some of the other woods which are tricky to handle because of knots and twisty grain patterns.
There are so many variables and pitfalls in the construction of a laminated bow that to turn out a successful job on the first try is an achievement in itself. Yet, the thrill of accomplishment and the knowledge gained through this experience make it a worthwhile venture, even if it takes two tries to succeed.
Todays modern bow is made up of laminations of wood and Fiberglass, the wood serving as a neutral core or spacer between two laminations of Fiberglas. Actually it is the Fiberglass that does the work of the bow, carrying eighty eight percent of the load while the wood core carries only twelve percent.