If I can only get ONE how-to book...

[Cottonmouth]

..which would you recommend?  I'm wanting to build a selfbow from osage.

Thanks!

[Pat B]

Dean Torges book, "Hunting The Osage Bow" is hard to beat for osage bows. The "Traditional Bowyers Bible" series is a great wood bow building resource. Paul Comstock's "The Bent Stick" is a great beginner's book, but primarily for whitewood bows.
  If you are just starting out I don't think just one will do.

[Jesse Peltan]

If you want to get one get Hunting The Osage Bow.  I think you can find most of the Traditional Bowyers Bible series on Google books.  You want to look at the Traditional Bowyers Bible series on Google books first.  It's not the whole book of each but it still contains a good chunk of info.

[stringstretcher]

Stim Wilcox.  "The Art of Making Self Bows".  None better in my book.

[Stiks-n-Strings]

I seen the post title and was gonna say the same as Pat B and Jesse.
 Out of the ones Pat reccomends I would Say Dean Torges's book is my favorite. A great read for sure.

 I will have to check out the WIlcox book myself.

[Pat B]

Stim Wilcox's book is an excellent reference too. It is relatively new and I totally forgot about it.

[DVSHUNTER]

I just got a signed copy of jay masseyls the bowyers craft signed my jay massey. It was a good, but there is better to read info in Mr. Torges book. It was my first book on bows. Also my library has all four bowyers bibles. That is where I got my copy of Mr. Masseyls book for only 16 bucks!

[Pat B]

I have Jay's "The Bowyers Craft"($16.95) and "The Book of PRIMITIVE ARCHERY"($18.95) both signed to me by Jay. The Bowyers Craft in 1987 and Primitive Archery in 1990.
  The Bowyers Craft was my first book on building wood bows. I also have one of Jay's sinew backed osage bows with halibut skin covering.
 Jay has been my archery idle for many years. I dream about being with him on the Moose John!

[soopernate]

I personally did not get as much from Torges' book as I would have liked.  Paul Comstocks "The Bent Stick" and the first Bowyers Bible were way more informative in my opinion.

[WoodsyDave]

I agree with soopernate. I am about 3/4 way through Torges' book and am having an awful time geting a clear picture in my mind of all the processes and steps.  He just gets started giving good info and takes off on a tangent totally unrelated to building the bow. By the time he returns, I am lost.  That doesn't mean to say he doesn't know his bow building, because he surely does, I just can't hardly follow. Guess I will buy the Bowyer's Bible book 1 and try that.

[scrub-buster]

TBB vol. 1 has a great chapter on osage selfbows.  Hunting the osage bow is good also.  So is the Bent Stick.  Just pick one and start making shavings.  I bet before you are done with the first book, you will be ordering a second one.

[tah-gah-jute]

have read all the books mentioned above plus a bunch of others with the exception of the stim wilcox book.some books get a little too much on the technical side and like mentioned lose you.i think the bent stick is a good book for beginner.also cherokee bows and arrows by al herrin is a very good book.keeps things a little more simplified.you'll only learn so much from books until you start working on bows.you'll understand more after hands on experience.

[tah-gah-jute]

after the recommendations,of the stim wilcox book"the art of making selfbows"i went ahead and ordered it.saw it in new book review in traditional bowhunter a while back.looked like a good book.decided to check it out.i have learned something new from every book,dvd or being around different bowyers.wish you well with the bow making cottonmouth,it can be very addicting!!