Of course it was a shooter!

Osage stave with rawhide backing.  61" NTN with about 20" of handle and fade.  Stacked badly at 22" draw but I forced it back to 28" countless times.  Sprayed arrows like a lawn sprinkler and I could not have been prouder.

It now hangs in a friend's man-cave.

Quit worrying about "success".  Other people should not define the outcome of a personal effort.

Make one.  Shoot it or break it.  make another, shoot/break.  repeat.

LEARN from every effort.

Like Teddy Roosevelt said - "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

My first was a red oak board bow and it shot good just not very fast. Theres a chapter  called building your first bow in the back of Traditional bowyers bible vol4. It will walk you right through it. Patience is the key.

My first was made from "vine maple", a local wood here; almost impossible to break!  It springs back up after driving over it and scraping it with a bull dozer.  Took lots of set, but wouldn't break.  That was about forty years ago - once in awhile I'll still make one out of it.......

I am finishing up a hazelnut bow that so far is still in one piece. It is drawing to 26" and I am working on getting it to 28"....got my fingers crossed.

My first was in 2005. A 32" Osage selfbow from a stave. It was for my 5 year old son. It survived him for 3 years and now has survived my youngest son, who is now 5, for 2 years. I consider that a success.

I didnt have any knowledge of this site then, a friend of mine told me to follow the grain, and no violations to the growth ring on the back.
Didn't try another till this year.

My first attempt at an adult bow was kinda successful. It still shoots to this day. But only 30# @ 28". It is now my oldest sons.
My second was not successful. Red oak board bow, osage riser handle. Backed with camo cloth. 75 - 100 shots in, just had to take one more shot, and BAM! @ full draw. Was going to hunt with it two days later. Oh, well. Lesson learned.
Have 2 more board bows started.

Trial and error not always fun at time of error, but the trip yields great knowledge. And the guys on here are a great source of knowledge and support. I can't say enough about this site!

I built a Bingham Longbow in '90, in the summer.  It was my first of 2 fiberglass bows I've ever built.  That fall I killed a deer with it.  Still my longest shot at a deer with any bow, 32yds.

I've been building bows ever since.

My first selfbow was from hickory.  I was making it for myself, but, it weighed in at about 20 lbs.  It still shoots, but it's a tad bit overbuilt.

I have attempted over 75 builds (board/laminated/self)and have yet to be able to make a bow that didnt break..I realized I just suck..if I had a good teacher, Im sure I would have a shooter...one of my goals that I hope to conquer one day

My first and only is an oak board bow.  I hadn't shot trad for many years and wanted to start light with something easy to shoot.  

It turned out pretty well at 66" NTN, 35# @ 28".  I built it using the info I found here with much of it from 4est's build-a-long.

I hope to do a couple more this winter and make a heavier poundage hunting bow.  I'm a displaced wood worker with no shop at my current location.  I did much of the work in my family room with some power tool usage in the old barn.

Yep

I did by used a BL fence post off a farner I hunted on and sinewed it. Don't reckmend going this way for a first bow. At the time did'nt know any better. Just knew indians used sinew.
 Back in the mid 80's no one in my area ever did or knew anyone that made a bow. Only had a boy scout pamplet was'nt any internet or books that I knew about. I only got laughs from my hunting friends. Then I gave my recure away and started useing it. But I got laughs 6 years before when I throgh away my compound and picked it up.
 But they soon stoped laughing. 9 Bucks in 6 years. Killed a 3 point the first year with a dogwood arrow and a 2 blade ZWICKY head. With my 62"59# bow.The laughing stopped. Now 4 of those friends shoot recurves. Couple tryed but there still to scared to take another step backwards and stay there. Just won't give up the speed and distance.

My very first bow worked well and is STILL in one piece  

Sadly I wanted a 50# bow and ended with a 20# bow *lol*

Same here.  First bow was a success.  It flung arrows, but ended up 15 lbs less than what I wanted.  I was still as happy as I could be.  Now, I look at it and it looks like a 5 year old built it.

My 1st is a redoak boardbow. It has so much handshock that it rattles my fillings so I dont shoot it. Maybe that is why it has survived. I have broken several and had several that turned out good/. Just build them, some will make it some will not.

1st broke, 2nd was a shooter a BL sapling 57#@27". 3&4 both broke, 3 was a black cherry board bow, and 4 was a mulberry stave bow, as Pat B mentioned about his experience with the ERC bow, when it blew it was quite exciting and left me with a knot on the head.  My success rate from there is slightly above 50%.  Just remember one word "Patience".

Dan