Can anyone recommend a good "manual" for bow building. I've absorbed quite a bit just strolling through the posts here at trad gang. But what I would love to have is a good old hard copy to sit back and read. Something that would teach the basics, but also touch on the more elaborate work.
Eventually, I would like to do a shorty (52-54)laminated recurve, possibly with glass.

http://www.3riversarchery.com/traditional-bowyers-bible-complete-set-of-books.html  

 http://www.3riversarchery.com/hunting-the-osage-bow-book.html

http://www.3riversarchery.com/the-bent-stick-making-and-using-wooden-hunting-bows-book.html

X2 on Roy's list.

Funny what most of us retain from reading and what we actually do with all that information from memory to pencil to the final product.  I searched the Archives and spent countless hours reading build-a-longs from you old timers.  Not just this website but others. Like many things in life I learned from the school of hard knox.  Learned by doing. This hobby call it Bowyering [woodworking] or what have you, is a real humbling experience.   :rolleyes:  
At the end of the day we keep learning something new whether its Archery, Building bows or Hunting. We all have our tricks of the trade and that takes years to master.
 

Which do you think would be the most helpful for laminated bows?!
Got a wife and three kids, so defenitely have a budget   :eek:

I use Hard rock maple.  In Canada I pay about $10.00 for a 6' 1x2 maple, Hickory is good, as well as oak, ipe, osage, elm and a few others.  I'm sure others will chime in but if cost is an issue build a selfbow the wood is free for the taking.  
I have built a few selfies but I get frustrated after working hard with the draw knife and hours later I break the bow.  With laminates it takes me minutes to cut the lams and glue them up.  Having said that the frustration level after a break is minimal.

I just prefer glue, sanders and saws over the draw knife, scraper and rasp.
   

PS. I'am not lazy, I have have a few years of wood working in the trade so this is my preference.

Roy's Book
Comes wif attitude and Pictures

 

Sorry, didn't mean to give the wrong idea.
I'm not in poverty or anything. Just might be a little hard to convince the wife that I need to spend $150 dollars on books for a bow building project.
I can hear it now "$150!!! You're last bow didn't even cost that much."

Wolftrtail - you are doing something wrong if you keep breaking selfbows! A selfbow is much harder to break than a lam bow.