Thanks for the welcome. I intended to get to Clarksville last May, but it didn't work out. Maybe next year.
I did however see the "Lost Tribe Traditional Archers of TN" mentioned in the article about the Tennessee Classic. I contacted them hoping that they would be close, but they are 80 miles from the house, in the Memphis area. We went and shot with them once and had a great time. They all seem to be fine people. They shoot glass and primitive, but most were shooting glass bows. I was hoping to meet some bowyers that I could glean some information from, but I think they primarily shoot commercial bows. At least that is what I saw on my one shoot with them.
So far my youngest son has made some light weight bows of scrap red oak and one of a shagbark hickory that we cut last August. He over tillered it and it is very week, but he is working on some more. My oldest son however, has made a pretty good bow from the same hickory and backed it with rawhide with the hair not removed. I call it "Ol' Shaggy". My hickory bow is going extremely slow. I'm afraid of making a mistake so it's taking forever. I made my 2 1/2 year old grandson a pretty good bow from black locust though. The little snaky bow will really sling an arrow.
Thanks,
Dale