I use the split riser design on two of my models, both of which have heavily deflexed risers. I have another design that doesn't have as much deflex, and on that one the fiberglass runs up the riser flares and terminates on the belly side of the grip in the "typical" lay up.
My first split-riser bow started with the typical belly termination, but after a failure and another almost-failure, I switched. On softer riser materials the concentrated compression was just too much for the wood. However, since going to the split riser I've never had another issue like that, nor have I had a belly segment de-laminate. The split riser design is a stronger, stiffer option with the trade off being a somewhat more involved glue up process. Although even that's just what you get used to.
There are lots of factors involved in designing a bow, so in no way am I saying the split design in the "best", but for my applications in slimmer but still heavily deflexed risers, I've had quite a bit of success with it. Looks neat, too!
Topic: D/R Riser Design (Read 4360 times)
