Long story short. I wanted a good whip so that I could play cowboy. I found out how much a good whip is. It was to much for my cowboy fantasies. I was lucky to live close to Zack Whites leather company, I went there and they had some books on whip making.
This is the first one that I purchased.
http://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Whips...5409724&sr=8-8
In less than a week and less than $50 I had a nice 5 ft whip that cracked. I kept buying leather and making whips and more books. Here is the next one that I purchased.
http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-R...5409724&sr=8-2
The knots got fancier and so di the braiding. The longest one I made was 12 feet 8 braids down to 4 at the tip.
After spending around $800 in tools, books, and leather I had a dose of reality: Nobody wanted to play cowboy anymore. So all the whips sat in my shop until I got divorced, she wanted to keep them for some reason. Thats ok I got the books so I can make more when I want to.
Now back to the real subject, for the best reference book on braiding get the encyclopiedia above. For a begginers guide to braiding the whip making book above is the best I found. It is simple with alot of uncomplicated drawings to get you started. The encyclopidia has the most braiding ilustration of any book out there, it was the culmination of the authors life long love affair with all things leather.
Here is the link for zack whites also.
http://www.zackwhite.com/