Some tips for a beginner would be nice.

[Pretzelcoatl]

Hello everybody. I am 17 have started making my own longbow and would like some tips on what kind of wood for arrows is best.
Whether it be dogwood, river cane, or bamboo. I would like to know the pros and cons of each of them and if you could help me out it would be much appreciated. I am shooting for a #45 pound draw weight on my longbow by the way.

[Pat B]

Shrub type dogwoods(red osier, gray dogwood, rough leaf dogwood, silky dogwood) all make good arrows. River cane, switch cane, hill cane, japanese arrow bamboo, tonkin bamboo and others all make good arrows. You can buy wood dowels at the hardware store to make arrows if you are choosy about what you get or you can split or saw out shaft blanks and use a thumb plane to reduce the stock to round shafts.  The possibilities are endless.
  Check out George Tsoukalas' archery website. He tells and shows how to make arrows from shoots or boards. Check out the "How To" section on this site. Lots of info there. Check out the "Arrow" section on this site...lots of info.
  Ask questions when you get stumped. Lots of generous, knowlegable folks here that are willing to help you out.

[bowtarist]

Hazel and multi floral rose work well too. 

[aaron]

you're asking about the pros and cons of each one, and the answers will be based on each persons preference, as well as hard facts.
I think it would be better to choose based on availability- what grows really straight in your area.
But back to pros and cons- here are my experiences:
Bamboo pros- stiff, so your arrows will be smaller diameter for a given spine. Strong + with a tough skin.hollow center allows weight to be added up front.
Bamboo cons- you have to smooth the nodes. small dia makes self nock small and hafting thicker points is tough on a skinny arrow. straightening is a little tricky due to nodes. Hard skin is louder than softer woods when the arrows rattle in a quiver or against a riser.
Sitka spruce pros- lighter weight if you want a light arrow.plentiful in my area. larger diameter for a given spine gives you more room to cut a self nock or haft a thick point.
Sitka cons- larger dia for a given spine- increases air resistance slightly. Soft wood dings easier than others. light weight not desireable for hunting.
Red Osier dogwood- cons. in my experience is is hard to keep straight.