That’s a tough one. It kinda depends on what kind of bow you want to make. Self bow, board bow, laminate bow, etc, etc,. Also, whether you want it flat, reflexed, defexed, or both.Something else that will affect the design is the materials. Some woods you can docertain designs and poundage with, others you can’t.I started by doing a board bows with slight reflex. I started by understanding the materials I plan on using and whether I could do it with said material. I figure whether the materials used will need to be backed to accomplish what I what, then pick the backing material. Cut my risers to the design that looks good at the time, glue it up (that is if I do anything fancy with the riser, which I most often do). Then glue up the bow, belly core, a power core if I need one for the chosen handle style, the belly (if I use one or did not account for it in the riser design), backing, and induce any reflex, deflex, or r/d, during the glue up. I put all that in the oven tillcured. After that, I rough it out , floor tiller, then put on the tiller tree. After that,its finishing time. Fine sanding, shaping, and putting on a good finish. I have made a few now so I’ve got copies of some of my better designs on poster board. I also have a few forms I used when adding the curves. So to answer your questing, it’s a learning process. If you are just interested in carving out a stave for a self bow, just get one and do it. You can learn a great deal out of carving out a simple self bow. You will also learn a lot about tiller and design. A self bow can be a pain in the but sometimes to get a working one though. One of the most important things is tounderstand the materials.

Some great sites to look up is Paleo world and bowers den. Don’t have them on this computer, but you can find them in a sec. through a search engine.