First T/D recurve riser, needs help.

[Sigmazxcs]

Dear all

I wish to venture into bow building, so I hope that I can get as much help as I can. 

Since it's my first riser build, i'd like to start small with a riser. I currently have a template which I found online, though it looked a bit radical. Unfortunately, I'm unable to post photos of the riser as I'm posting via my phone. 

That aside, how should I go about reinforcing my riser? I have in mind coreflex with 1/16" phenolic accent. I'm thinking of making the riser 18" so I can lay down 2 strips of phenolic accent. But my problem lies in the arrangement of the pieces. Should they stack from belly to back, or laterally? And what type of glue can I use if I'm tight on budget and does not own a heatbox (doesn't intend to build one yet, might buy one from Bingham). 
The riser has a rather narrow grip, 1 1/2". I'm hoping to cut an ambidextrous shelf 1" above the center grip. 

Please do advise me on the materials, as well as the riser design. If there's a cheap source for materials, please do let me know. 
I appreciate any inputs and critics. 
Thanks guys, God bless.

[DavidV]

You'll get the most strength using the phenolic as an I-beam. So you will only see the accent on the back and belly of the riser and maybe the sight window.

[Sigmazxcs]

Hey, thanks for the advice!
I figured I should use an I-beam construction too.
Materials wise, should I use Osage or Superaction coreflex to go with the phenolic strips? Or would you recommend other wood types?

[DavidV]

I'm a very new bowyer, haven't even built a lam bow yet so others may know better.

As far as materials go, you can use either with great results. Personnally, I like the look of osage and other natrual woods over the laminated coreflex. Any reasonably dense hardwood will work, especially when laminated. You can get riser blanks from Rosewood Archery, or Kenny's custom archery.

[strungstick]

Don't get too concerned over I-beam or parallel strength wise, do what looks good to you. Most tropical species, and especially composite material, used for risers is plenty strong for most hunting weight bows.  Any accent lamination, wood, glass, micarta, etc. is just a little insurance but definately not a necessity.

[Sigmazxcs]

Thanks for the input guys. Really helpful to me!!

Perhaps I'm overly cautious about wood selection, but since I'm cutting an ambidextrous shelf, I guess caution is advised.

And speaking of which, any rule of thumb to follow for ambidextrous shelves and still be able to do relatively centered shots?