Riser woods

[EHK]

Guys, I did a search on this and although I'm sure there's good info on this somewhere in here, I didn't find what I was looking for.  I'm looking for some feedback and recommendations on riser woods.  I built my first bow using zebra and I found it real easy to work with.  If I have a complaint with it, it's that it seems fairly light, and I would prefer something with a little more mass.  I have another bow in the works with Bubinga.  I like the fact that it's heavier, but it takes a lot more work sanding for sure and it seemed to be rough on sanding belts and spindles.  I've also heard that it's going to be more difficult to finish.

So, What recommendations do you have for hardwoods that may sand a bit easier than bubinga?

Also, I know that dymondwood is not hardwood, and some may argue that it's not even real wood, but I know it's heavy.  How is that to work with?

Any other recommendations you may have for riser woods that offer a good balance of mass weight and are easy to work with?

Thanks for any feedback.

[fujimo]

what about osage- my thoughts might be the heavier, the denser, = tougher on tools.
but i s'pose some woods are a bit tougher to get a nice finish.
but let the riser pros chime in here.

[Roy from Pa]

Curly Maple, cocobolo, bacote, osage, hickory, black locust, any of the harder woods. Riser wood needs to be strong.

[EHK]

Roy - have you worked with bubinga before?  Just curious how you feel about it compared to bocote.  Is it as tough to sand?  I actually have a bocote block on order from Kenny.

[Roy from Pa]

Never used bubinga.. Kenny has some fine material for risers. I have gotten many pieces from him. You won't find a better man to deal with than Ole Kenny.

[David Flanrey]

X2 on material from Kenny.  Roy gave you a good list.

Have not used bubinga but have used bacote.  The bacote is fairly easy to sand.  It does smell and clog sandpaper but looks great.  Rosewood is a strong dense wood and has lots of color.

[jess stuart]

Shedua, and Bolivian Rosewood are two of my favorites both finish well and grind easily.  You need sharp paper for bubinga or it will burn easily but is a great riser wood.

[Todd Cook]

I like bubinga quite a bit. It's very strong, heavy wood. Fairly hard to sand, harder than bacote.