I  recently purchased a hickory bow stave for my first bow making project.  The thing came with an 8 inch long handle.  This length handle made sence to me since my hand occupies about 4 inches of the handle.  I grasp the bottom half of the bow handle forcing the top of my hand to  lie right in the middle of the handle and the bow. Since I shoot arrows off hand this convenient placement of my hand allows the arrow to sit perpendicular to the string and sit right next to the middle of the bow.
      Here is where I can't understand why the 4 inch long handle is so popular among the internet bow making resources.  If you grab a four inch long handle then you are going to cover of the center of the handle and the arrow will have to sit two inches hight off center of the bow.  I wish to know how to solve this problem or if this is a problem at all. 

                                P.S.  sorry about those two incoherent paragraphes

On most any bow you can find, the arrow sits on a shelf or on the knuckles above the center of the bow.  As Johnny said, some make the limbs unequal in length to compensate. 

Really the limbs can be the same length and the arrow above center and nothing will suffer greatly. (I will get a lot of hate mail for this, but it is true.)  Just move the arrow nock point up about 1/4" to 3/8" from perpendicular and adjust a little to make the arrow shoot straight.

If the arrow is in the center of the bow, you will be pulling the string below center if you use either a split or three-under draw style.  If the arrow is above center, you will draw closer to center.  If you make the limbs unequal to center the arrow, you are now drawing below center again.  Your bow probably reacts more to the off-center draw than to the off center arrow or the two are equally different.

I say don't worry and shoot happily. 

jeff <><

*Obligatory hate mail for JeffH*

LOL

i know that the original poster may never see this, but for future reference... you may use an 8 inch  handle, as a 4 inch handhold with two inches of fade on either side... worked for me