Hey there everybody!
I'm John from Minneapolis. I'm looking into building my first bow and this seems to be the forum to go to. Looking forward to be a member!

I was looking in the Archery online library and liked this flat bow design:  http://www.archerylibrary.com/books/flatbow/docs/flatbow02.html
My question is how the distance from the two A lines to the center of the handle is going to be equal? If the center of grip(cog) is 1" of the center of bow(cob) and divide the limbs in thirds measuring from cog how can they be? Am I misunderstanding or missing something here?

the bottom limb is shorter...lots of builders do it that way to make the bottom limb slightly stiffer and create a positive tiller.

That's a great little book, I made my first bow out of that design.

It's not going to be equal.  The reasoning gets into too much theory for now.  Just follow the directions.  It's like making a recipe in the kitchen for the first time.  I follow the recipe exactly until I understand how changes may affect the outcome.

Ok thanks guys! I drew it and when I got to the part where it said the lines needed to be equidistant from the handle I got thrown off. I'll go with what I got and if it turns out it does, I'm sure I'll learn something. Btw, can I use a rift sawn board and back it for this design?

Here's a good board bow tutorial.   http://sticknstring.webs.com/ferretsboardbow.htm

Bob, that's not why folks make the bottom limb shorter. Actually, a bow with a shorter bottom limb can be tillered so that it has either equal, negative, or positive tiller.

Don't get distracted by too much theory right now.  Just make some bows.

thanks...I understand that you can tiller it however you want...just trying to easily explain why lots of people make the bottom limb shorter/stiffer.  
If Sal can make a bow using that diagram...you should easily be able to do it... LOL.
 

Hey, I do make bows, I just take a long time to finish them, a long time.    

You may want to think about a bow that bends through the handle? Just sayin. I made one from a bendy piece of osage and it's still a shooter, that's what the Indians shot and killed many critters with it. BTW-Bowjunkie is a techie snob.

Bowjunkie probably hates me know? LOL

Hey, just make it, show it off and applaud yourself for a great job! When it breaks, just make a new one, that's what I do!

A techie snob? I don't even know what that is. LoL

Well ya are one.. LOL  

Well, whatever it is, I'm ok with it... believe it or not, I've been called worse    

Just pickin at ya Bowjunkie.  

Well stop it. I'm sensitive.

Ya Right......  

John, I'm from Eden Prairie, I'm real busy the next couple weeks, but give me a shout if you want some help. Like other said, follow the recipe and see what you get out of it, you learn so much in your first few bows by trial and error, the 3rd 4th and 5th ones get a lot easier, then after a few dozen you almost feel like you know what you're doing