Bowyer's Bibles

[k-hat]

So I've just recently gotten into bow-building and, like y'all, i'm addicted!!!  Spend most of my free time thinking about my next bow;).  I've read excerpts from the Trad. Bowyer's Bibles, and am ready to order one.  I'm poor, so i can only get one:(, question is, which volume of the 4 do you recommend??  
Thanks for being here!! More questions and bow-builds will be forthcoming!

[Pat B]

For a beginner I'd suggest TBBI. When you are ready for your second book get TBBIV. Depending on the woods you plan on building bow with there might be better options also. For whitewoods, Paul Comstock's "The Bent Stick" and for osage or similar woods, Torges "Hunting the Osage Bow".

[Stiks-n-Strings]

Each one builds to the next so you need to start with #1.

 If you are looking for a good book on building wood bows and can only get one right now I would recommend Paul Comstocks book "The bent stick" or Dean Torges' "Hunting the osage bow"

 Lots of good books out there but these are great ones to start with. Also lots of good info here and all of us are more than willing to help. I learned tons here when I first started and still learn more everyday.

 Stiks

[k-hat]

Thanks for your prompt replies!!  Right now i'm sticking (pun intended;) with board bows.  I've done 4 now.  First two were flatbows, still working great.  Second two were attempts at a somewhat ELB type (all 4 red oak, so i modified the shape to fit red oak).  1st elb blew near the end of tillering (was beautiful!).  Second tillered all the way to 30" draw without hardly any scraping necessary.  It blew on about the hundredth shot:(.  Inspection of the ruins led me to believe the wood was too dry.  She was a nice shooting 60 pounder tho!  Lessons learned:)
I did use some of the build-a-longs and input here to help with dimensions and tillering on all four bows, very helpful!
I'll preview the other books mentioned and make my purchase in the next few days.  

Thanks again!

[matts2]

If you do a search for it on Amazon, you can get used copies for half the price.  I am in the same boat and ordered Vol 1 & 2 last week for the price of one new one.

[bigcountry]

Vol 1 and 4 are really useful.  II and III are ok.  But I learned the most of out of 1.

Lots of good books out there now, other than these.

I just read thru this, and it covers much of what TBB do but in color, and more detail
Wilcox "the art of making selfbows"

Another is Dean Torgues book.

[Legionnaire]

Agreed get number 1

[scrub-buster]

Try the Books and videos page under the classifieds on this site.  You might ask if anyone has them for sale/trade.

[Pat B]

TBBI has a chapter on "design and performance" that is a pretty important read for wood bow builders. TBIV has an update to that chapter with stuff learned since the first came out.

[k-hat]

Think I've pretty well settled on TBBI, thanks again for all the input!  when I'm ready to start using staves instead of boards, i'll look into the other books.  Haven't found anywhere around here to supply staves, and my tools are more for boards anyhow.  

Got a bow in the works right now for my wife.  So now i'm gonna get over to 4est's thread and get some advice on that one!

Thanks again guys!