Western maple, whether it is stabilized or not, typically needs to be reinforced with other hardwoods in the form of an I-beam or a footing. Wrapping the back of the riser with glass or hardwood overlays help, but you still have compression to deal with and riser flex on any bows above 40#. There is a huge amount of pressure put on these risers. I would never build a solid western maple riser again.... I learned this the hard way years ago when i first started building bows. Western Black walnut is a bit stronger, but the same rule applies. It needs reinforcement. I have built many bows with western curly maple and black walnut, and will continue to do so... But... it has to be done right, or they can fail. .02 cents worth.... Kirk
Topic: Riser material question (Read 810 times)
