while slinging is my favorite primitive thing, i also like a bunch of other things. before of course, i used a bent stick bow, but i want to try making a carved bow. after searching about on youtube and paleoplanet i think i can make one. i have a wood ting that is basically a thick rectangular stick. the kind you get from home depot or lowes. i'm thinking that i can make a bow from it, because it's oak, and I've seen a good deal of people with stave's like that before carving, but i don;t know if it will work because it might be to old for it (as in too brittle, while drying a bow out before using is good, super heating it and letting it turn dry-dry might not)

I'll post a picture soon

It's certainly possible; I have a red-oak "board bow" sitting downstairs right now.   Shoots fine.   Just a piece of red-oak 1 X 2 lumber tillered properly.

However....It's important that the grain structure on your board be right, or you're just cruzin' for a bruisin'.....

I suggest getting a copy of The Primitive Bowyer's Bible (volume 1) which goes into some detail as to what to look for.    Or go to some of the primitive archery websites.

Right, you want the straightest grain possible, with no knots. Having a bow break on you can be painful, maybe debilitating. The tighter the grain, the better, also.

I have several ash limbs, but they have knots in them. Would that cause a problem?

And the board bow is a great idea. Off to Lowe's I go!

K'Jev

Right away you're scaring me.  Knots?  In red oak?    Are you sure this is red oak?   I've never seen even one knot in hardware-store boards.

Here is a good link to a "board bow" site; he has nice clear pics of the sort of grain structure you're looking for.
http://www.geocities.com/salampsio/oak.htm

It will be a good idea to apply a backing.  Silk or linen will prevent a marginal piece of lumber from splintering.    Silk neckties can be had for a buck or so at your average Goodwill store. 
I would strongly suggest reading through one of these build-alongs or getting a decent book.

The "back" of a bow is the part that faces away from you as you hold it.  The part that's nearest to you is the belly.     No wood removal from the back, other than a slight sanding of the edges.
The backing in this case is to stop splinters from raising, (which cause breakage) and also to hold the thing together if it should fail.   Silk and linen are traditional, but leather can be used as well.
The main thing is to go slowly and carefully; you can't put wood back on.   Usually, the shape of the bow is roughed out, and then all further work is done with hand tools like rasps, scrapers, and sandpaper.
There are plenty of web-pages to show you how the bow should be bending, and how to gradually even things out.    

I use a "tillering tree" which allows the bow to be bent by a rope and pulley arrangement; you can look at it from a few feet away to see how it's going.
Lots of people use a simple notched "tillering board" which holds the bent bow static.
Normally, a right-handed person holds the bow in the left hand, and draws with the right.    Dominant eye is perhaps not as important as when shooting a firearm,, since most archery is done with both eyes using an "instinct" method.

Tillering IS getting the bow to "bend right".      The reason we use a tillering "tree" or "board" is so you can see how the bow is bending as you work on it. 
If you don't do this in some way, you will end up invariably with either "hinges" (weak spots) or flat spots which are not bending as much as they should.
Either will cause problems; hinges will cause breakage if they are not evened out.   Flat spots will simply make the bow less efficient.

The advantage of a tree is that you can "exercise" the bow as you work it.   The technique is to get your stave to "floor tiller", that is to start an initial smooth bend when braced against the floor and pushed by hand.  That's the "roughed-in shape" stage.
Then we remove a little wood and put it on the tree.  Apply an extra-long string and the pulley and rope, and bend it a little.
Take note of how it's bending, and mark the spots that are too stiff with a pencil; then remove a little wood from those spots.

Eventually, working this way, you arrive at a bow that's starting to bend properly.   Then, it's a matter of gradually removing more and more wood till you arrive at your target weight.   That is, how much poundage it takes to draw the bow to your specific draw length.   (Average is about 28 inches)