Hello all!  I'm starting to get into making bows and need some assistance.  I made one out of red oak, turned out ok I guess. I didn't back it though I'm assuming it won't last long.  Can I back it with anything?  I have fiberglass sheets and resin, if I use it do I need to stain the wood prior to using and what will it look like after glass is on it.  

I was also wondering about laminated bows.  What's a good place to purchase the different woods needed?  I seen a build that a guy order the limbs already tapered and glued them together to make a limb, is that a common option or is it easier to cut the entire bow shape with a bandsaw?

Sorry for all the questions.

Colten

Welcome Colton.
there are numerous backings that will help preserve a wood bow. Silk, linen, rawhide and even brown paper will support the back of the bow. These will not improve performance and are not guarantees. The best thing to ensure longevity is a perfect board and perfect tiller. Knowledge of both usually comes with the experience of several broken bows.
I believe the fiberglass will work but will probably overpower the oak and cause failure. If the bow is just ok, I would get some brown paper bags from the grocery store and apply them to the back of the bow with Titebond III. Add some satin poly to it and shoot it till it stops being fun  
As to the laminate bows there are multiple avenues to go and I'll let others with more experience in that area chime in.

Paper bag, wouldn't have imagined that.  Haha.  I'll give it a shot thanks!

What Razoback said.   Paper is made from wood fibers. Brown grocery bag paper makes a good backing.

Whats the best way to finish it after adding paper bag? Jist clear coat?

Yes, clear coat is all you need. Remove any finish off the back and make sure it is smooth. Apply glue and paper, then squeeze out any air bubbles. Once dry sand off the edges and apply clear coat. If you have young kids you could let them draw interesting patterns on it before the finish.

Laminated bows are a whole different ball of wax from self bows. There are a number of vendors here who supply the requisite wood and fiberglass lams, epoxy, etc.  BinghamProjects.com also has forms, kits, and all sort of other goodies.

There are some calculations/dimensions that you have to "get right" if you want the bow(s) you make to come out not too weak and not too strong.  Type of wood isn't very important, but the "stack height" or thickness of wood and fiberglass is the critical dimension to making a bow come out right.

You don't need a fancy air-pressure form or bow oven or stuff like that until you've mastered the techniques.  You can make perfectly good forms for "longbows" and recurves from a straight length of 2x10, some 1/4" dowel, a bicycle innertube, and some masking tape:

Here's my most recent bow just as I took it off of the 2x10 form:
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And here's the finished bow, 44" t-t-t:
   

Here's a 58", 53# draw flatbow I made awhile back, and its 2x2 form:

I messed up the backing.  The glue I used set too quick and the backing is bubbled.  But after a coat of stain it looks like leather almost..haha.

I'm going to get a kit from Binghams next week and give it a shot.

@wood, keep us in mind for any of your material needs. We can generally get things to you in just a couple of days.

thanks, bigjim

Will do Jim, thanks!

@wood you should also consider posting your work, with pics. The folks on here will give you advice on where to take wood off to give you the best chances of getting the best bow possible.
Also here are a couple of helpful links.

first is Eric's Tillering Gizmo

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001047

and for board bows 4est trekker's
The "So You Wanna Build a Bow?" Build-Along

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000122

I bet those 2 threads have really helped more get started then most.

Thanks KennyG, I'll add some pics soon.  It looks pretty hood for a first try, I guess.

@wood, welcome to the gang! First off, look out for Roy from Pa! He likes to give the new guys a hard time. But he's all bark and no bite IMO!  Second, Big Jim is the man when it comes to all your bow building needs. He has everything and he's great to deal with. Good luck and please post pics! ( Roy, have I made the list yet?)

Wow, that's a great looking staining job!  Have you shot it yet?