Hmmm, All good thoughts.....but, maple is really hard. I wonder how far you could get stain to penetrate, even under pressure, even if the main riser block was roughed to shape before glue-up.Dymondwood layers are only 1/32 thick. I think Fred might have had a few tricks up his sleeve. I'm facing a similar situation with my footed arrows. How can I stain the shaft after the footing is sanded to shape without staining the footing. Granted, stain doesn't penetrate the hardwood(e.g.osage,purpleheart)nearly as much as the cedar, but it still stains. Oh, another thing: Where did Fred get that awesome green fiberglass this kodiak is made with? Wish I could get some of that. Thanks for the replies, John