RE: Selfbows
Mulberry is another good bow wood, a tree family that's related to osage. I've also used elm with success. The last half dozen bows I've made have been from red oak boards from Lowes or Home Depot. (I've got a really bad back and can't go out to the woods to cut and split my own wood any more.) Finding a board that has the right grain is the hardest part of the process.