Fiberglass instead of phenolic

[Ari_Bonn]

Well been talking to a boywer close to home here back and forth thinking of getting a 3 piece longbow from him. We were discussing riser mass and I had inquired about phenolic and actionwood which he often uses.  

Apparently he has started to phase it out for solid fiberglass instead because it has higher mass and strength/durabilty than the other 2 mentioned.  

I guess it would be like an old ben pearson.

[nineworlds9]

This is becoming more common.  Generally they're using G10.  Very durable, heavy material.  I owned a Habu with a glass riser with a few thin wood accents and it was a tank.  Almost too heavy to carry all day honestly.  It was a large riser though.  Many bowyers, including Big Jim, have been offering an I-beam of this type of material for strength and mass.  I'm on the list for a Thunderchild next month and Jim is probably going to build me a G10 riser with wood scales for beauty.

[D.B Cooper]

Phenolic is hard on tooling and machinery, probably why a lot of bowyers go away from it after a while.  The company I used to work for made a bunch of park benches for the city a few years back and the seating and back were a phenolic material, we went through blades and router bits probably 4 times as fast as even the most dense wood species we work with.

[Will Cocke 2]

I would give Mike at rosewood archery a call.  He has some new dymondwood that is the best I have used in awhile.  Very very dense and heavy.   Also has no smell at all, something your bowyer should greatly appreciate.