walnut for riser wood?

[rainman]

Can a solid block of walnut be used for a recurve riser?  If not can I make it strong enough if I cut it up and laminate back together?
This would be for a 1 piece bingham recurve.

Thanks,
Dan Raney

[kennym]

Dan,
I've never had one break,but have heard of a couple,to be safe,I'd lam a couple strips of something in.

[twotimer]

i have used more walnut than any other wood for risers since i started playing around in the bow building a couple of years ago.i have used a solid piece of it for a lower weight longbow,but as kenny said,it don't hurt to put a micarta accent stripe or something else to add strength.it is a easy wood to work and makes a beautifull riser,imo.good luck,regards,robert

[Chris Wilson]

I've had it in a few risers.  It was always laminated with a harder wood or phenolic.

[shamus]

It works great for selfbows, but I'm, not sure about recurves.

But B.Walnut and maple have about the same Specific Gravity of @55. And maple is used for risers, irrc.

(the bow in my profile pic has a walnut riser).

[Walt Francis]

I had a solid piece riser crack, but haven't had any problems with laminated ones.

[rainman]

Thanks guy's, looks like I will laminate some osage and yellowheart into the riser.

Semper Fi,
Dan Raney

[Crooked Stic]

You need to laminate walnut and maple both for risers. A person might get by in a one piece with the lams and glass but then there is the shelf area to consider. Laming it will be better.

[SOS]

I would laminate a strip or two of glass or phenolic to add a few glue lines.  Pretty but not as strong as some other woods.  
 
Ask me how I know....

 

This was my first bow and loved it...'til I dry fired it once...self critiquing event.  I had a 1/4" phenolic stripe but I had it too far toward the belly and almost completely cut it away shaping the throat of the grip.  Crack started at the throat and propogated down to the limb pad.  It was a pretty bow.  But the limbs survived and I made a new riser out of actionwood...make that sucker bullet proof!

 

I did use a little of the walnut and phenolic from the first riser to keep a little "mojo" in it.  Killed 4 deer its first season...love it.