Hey, all; I have always been fascinated by archery, and I have the itch to make my own recurve bow.

To start out, I think I would probably be best served by a lighter bow, one in the 35-40# range, until I got more proficient at archery. Am I on the right track?

I have been searching the web, but cannot find a source for bowmaking materials/instruction. Can anyone suggest a good source?

Or, seeing as how $$ are tight on a fixed income, would I be better advised to find a good-quality used bow, like the ones I have admired forever, the Browning Nomad or Cobra?

What do you need to watch out for when buying archery equipment from sharpies on da'Bay?

Thanks for any help you can give.

It's a lot cheaper to buy a bow than to make one. You can buy a brand new entry level recurve from pse for around $150.

The place to learn about all things traditional is tradgang.com you can also check out the leatherwall but it's just a rehash of what you'll find on tradgang.

When you're buying whether it's new or used you'll have to decide first if you'll be shooting off an elevated rest or "off the shelf" The bow you buy may not do it both ways. I shoot off the shelf but there are some very good reasons to use an elevated rest, better arrow flight being one of them.

have fun

Depending on your age and strength, 35# may be a little on the light side. Something in the 40#-45# range would be suitable for deer hunting and would continue to be useful for bowfishing after you gain strength/skill and move to a heavier bow.
I agree with calgarychef on buying new or used being cheaper than building. If you buy a used recurve from EBay or elsewhere, be sure the bow does not have twisted limb tips from being strung improperly.

This should get you started

http://www.kustomkingarchery.com/
http://www.3riversarchery.com/Index.asp
http://www.raptorstore.com/store/index.php
http://www.binghamprojects.com/
http://www.winterbowshoppe.biz/

The average adult male should be able to work into a 45# in very short order and in my opinion that is the very least I would consider for deer sized animals. Its also a very common size for classic recurves. I'd be careful around ebay on this sort of thing. I wouldn't buy I used bow that I couldn't examine first.

Back in the mid 90's I built several bows with a friend of mine who was "handier" than I was.
It took about 40+ hrs. you would be better off buying something you can see,hold and draw.
Do lots of pushups, you will use mainly back muscle to draw with and get a 45-50# bow.
Stay away from bows that are too short,say less than 58 inches [all this depends on your draw length] and have fun but learn the fundamentals of a good release