Knot Heads World Wide and General Whipmaking
Stormdrane just posted a link to my blog in a thread on Knot Heads World Wide asking about whipmaking details (still waiting for my account to be activated). I know I don't have too much in the way of specific construction information about my projects, but I would be happy to answer any questions. I know that when I started it was difficult to understand the practical details about how to go about actually making all the parts of the whip. I figured the best way was to ask someone more experienced than me and thankfully, some professional whipmakers were kind enough to set me straight - Steve Huntress, Rhett Kelly and Tony Layzell were all instrumental in helping me get going. Likewise, if anyone out there needs help with understanding the process of making a whip, please let me know and I will do my best to help. I also post on a thread over at EDCForums.com about paracord whips so feel free to post over there also.
But some general info:
I tend to prefer making 6' whips, mostly due to the space I have available for personal practice.
I generally do pretty well making bullwhips with an 8 plait belly and 12 plait overlay, but I understand they are not as durable or robust as a two belly whip with a 16 plait overlay. I have made a few in the past but I intend to be making more two belly whips in the future.
I prefer to do my braiding from butt to point using dropped strands rather than point to butt and adding strands...however I have done both methods and if I were to use the strand adding method I would most likely use it for a belly, but I usually don't
I started using large nails and such when I first began making bulls but I have since moved to using 3/8" rods, usually steel, as handles. They tend to transition more smoothly to the nylon sheathed BBs that I use for the core of the thong. Adding in some staggered lengths of destranded paracord I can create a reasonably smooth core taper compared to other methods I've tried. I used to favour electrical cord cores and I think they are still a very good core material, but I stopped using it due to the lumpiness of the wires as you make the core taper. For a beginner, I think electrical cord is an excellent material to learn with and it's a time saver compared to feeding BBs one at a time into a sheath.
When I make a core, I try to incorporates small steps in the taper that act as natural markers for where a strand drop should occur in the next layer and to help hide the natural bumps that occur when a strand gets dropped.
I do use a portable table clamp to hold my whips and it really does help to keep your seams straight, but using a clamp or vice does not absolve the plaiter from the error of uneven tension. You still have to be consistent with the pull on the strands. Generally I pull tight around the handle, but I've found that on the thong itself, pulling too hard with nylon is detrimental to good flow. Very different from leather.
I have given up on using artificial sinew as I found that when I used it with electrical tape as a binding, the tape would become brittle and eventually crack and split creating a weak spot that will ruin a whip. I use unwaxed heavy nylon thread now.
For crackers, I have come to prefer using polypropylene string.
Practice is really key. I tend to eyeball where my drops are going to be more often now, based on the diameter of the core at a give point. The first few whips will likely be very rough looking, although if it tapers well enough you will probably be able to get a decent crack, but the more whips you make the cleaner your construction will become.
Whip #65
Had a whole day to work on this. Quite a rare event! 
Whip #65, 6' bullwhip, 10"x 1/8" fiberglass handle, BB and ball chain core, 8 plait belly with 14 plait overlay in a dark blue with a lighter blue accent stripe and white interweaving for the knots. The core was made at the same time as whip #64 but this one uses less lead tape and has more build up on the handle to make it thicker. Also used the loop ended fall with the overhand knot fastening at the point here. It seems to work well enough despite the added bulk to the point.
The colours were requested to match the Toronto Argonaut colour scheme.
I like doing interweaves on my knots now. I can make the knot foundations a little bigger and any gaps are corrected by the interweave itself and having the extra material causes the main knot to tighten up. I got to play around with using string and glue for the knot foundations as per Rhett Kelly's instructions. Seems to work pretty well and it's no slower than my original method.
Whip #64
Finally had a chance to complete a project. With all the stuff going on this past few weeks I haven't had time to do much. But I have a breather for a couple of weeks so I should be getting some more whips done and I need to make a couple of sticks as well.
This is whip #64: 6' bullwhip made with a 10" handle made of 1/8" fiberglass rod. The core is BB and ball chain with a single 8 plait belly and a 12 plait overlay. Slightly smaller handle knob as this is made for a woman's hand. This whip is somewhat unusual in a few ways; the narrow fiberglass rod in the handle is solid but flexible so there is an interesting flex through the handle that gradually increases into the stiffened transition into the thong. I also made the handle have a distinct edge to it's shape to index the proper belly orientation. Finally, I went back to a fall with a loop on the tip and secured the loose ends to the point of the whip with a simple overhand knot and tucking the ends under the rest of the point knot. Overall, an interesting whip and it seems to handle well enough.
Hickory Sticks (The Fighting Irish Kind)
Haven't had a ton of time to finish projects, although I did find time to make a couple of Irish sticks. 38" long made of hickory. The one on the right is my current practice stick, thin and light, but tough enough to bang with.
Bow #3
Partially successful. Made out of a 6' 1x4 maple board with a pyramid shape to the limbs and some scrap hickory glued on for the handle riser. I made the handle section slightly too long but it seems to be working well enough. The hickory adds a lot of necessary stiffening through the middle. Originally I made the limbs longer but I decided to cut them down to get a heavier draw weight. And I wanted a shorter bow in any case. Still needs a little more tillering but there is some twist happening in one limb that I'm not sure how to correct.
Managed to cut a contour to the grip for my hand as well as a narrow arrow shelf. Overall I learned plenty and this bow is fun to shoot despite its flaws. Pictures care of my 4 year old.
UPDATE: Actually got to shoot it a bit and a couple others shot it also. Turns out the bow isn't half bad as it is and the limb twist may yet be fixable. Yay!