I've always wanted to make one out of sweetgum. The stuff won't split, has to be sawed. Bark removes easily. Seems to work good with drawknife. It'll have to be dried before I go on. I'll keep you guy's posted. (http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz336/Barley40/002.jpg)
Sweetgum lumber will crawl right out of the stack while it's drying. Maybe a stave will work better, but be prepared for a lot of warp, twist, etc.
It can be split when it's literally stump green, but a delay of just a few hours can make it just about impossible.
I painted the log ends and let whole log dry.Then sawed into staves.
On my hickory I split the log in half and let dry with the bark on before splitng the staves, but this is an experiment. Gonna try different ways. That sweetgums gotta make a good bow if I find the right formula.