what do you guys use to cut the shape of your bows with after you lay out the shape?
A bandsaw.
I now use a band saw to cut out the rough shape of a bow if I am making it for someone else. If I am making myself one I use the draw knife and rasp to take the area of the lines that I have drawn. The grain of the wood will determine to some extent how the lines are interpreted.
Osage works really well with a draw knife.
BigArcher