whats the heaviest wood/s that are commonly used in risers?
Cocobolo and Claro? are there uglier woods out there that are just as heavy/heavier and still suitable? (like dogwood or hickory)
__________________
Anything I say is my opinion, just that...and only that.
"...and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God?
Cocobolo, chechen, Bolivian rosewood, and East Indian rosewood are heavy. African blackwood is very heavy, pretty plain, and very expensive. Claro walnut isn't very heavy at all. The East Indian rosewood I have seen isn't real fancy. Gaboon ebony is very heavy and pretty expensive, and pretty plain. Don't think dogwood or hickory would be considered heavy.
Chad
__________________
"We can have no '50-50' allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all."-- Theodore Roosevelt
A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. Ecclesiasties 10:2
The last four letters in American..........I Can
The last four letters in Republican........I Can
The last four letters in Democrats.........Rats
A friend of mine has a Saxon Mongoose with a leadwood riser. That's the heaviest wood I've seen, a lot heavier than ebony or any other natural wood I've messed with. It's a dark brown wood without much, if any, figure to it. Kinda looks like the riser was molded out of chocolate pudding. Bob Morrison used to have a pic of a bow with a leadwood riser on his website.
Come to think of it, I've only seen it used in longbow risers. Might be too dang heavy for recurves. [:-]
Some of the heaviest hardwood trees and shrubs of the United States have specific gravities between 0.80 and 0.95; including shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) and ironwood (Ostrya virginiana) of the eastern states, and canyon live oak (Quercus chrysolepis), Engelmann oak (Q. engelmannii), hollyleaf cherry (Prunus ilicifolia) and Santa Cruz Island ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. asplenifolius) of southern California.
Not that they'd make great riser woods, just that they are very dense.
Pick gorgeous woods that you love for your bows. Have the bowyer add extra micarta to the riser - aint that the best way to add weight to the riser Chad ??
Just going on my own experience with hickory--we have gobs of it here. Compared to most US woods it's heavier, but compared to woods like cocobolo, rosewood, chechen, etc. it doesn't seem to be. Rots quick when dried out, and termites eat it up. Research I've done on the really dense woods shows that termites generally leave it alone.
Some woods have about the same mass weight, if not a little more, than phenolic or micarta. Not something I personally would want in a bow with a large riser, but some folks like it.
Tried to find the mass weight of leadwood, but no luck. I did know what African blackwood weighed, but forgot. I do know that stuff is sold by the pound instead of the board foot, and what I've seen of it was small pieces.
Adding phenolic or micarta to a light riser will up the weight some--I like natural wood myself though. I can't imagine toting a bow with a big riser--Habu, some Black Widows, some 21st Century's, etc.--through the woods with a riser made from one of the heavy woods.
Chad
__________________
"We can have no '50-50' allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all."-- Theodore Roosevelt
A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. Ecclesiasties 10:2
The last four letters in American..........I Can
The last four letters in Republican........I Can
The last four letters in Democrats.........Rats
I went with African Blackwood on my last bow.
It is much heavier than Cocobolo risers I have owned.
Every Cocobolo riser I have owned has cracked on me and I don't trust it anymore.
The Blackwood is pretty dark but has chocolate waves that are visible in sunlight.
To me, it's a cool looking wood.
The next bow I order will have a Snakewood riser.
The most beautiful wood for a riser I have ever seen.
A guy I know who makes custom Duck calls believes the African Blackwood is the strongest wood going.
Here is a pic of my Trails End with African Blackwood riser with Bloodwood accents.
I've known of a few cocobolo risers cracking, and it was generally because the moisture content wasn't right in the wood. It can be tricky--measuring the block may give a good reading, but measureing after it's cut into can show it's till too high. I'm the kind of guy that can tear up an anvil with a feather, and my cocobolo riser is showing no signs of wear and tear (other than a few scratches--that happens when you drop your bow on broom-finish concrete) after 6 or more years of shooting the crap out of it. I'm pulling 66# on it, so it's getting put to the test.
I thought about buying some of the African blackwood for a riser until I priced it--shew! That, and I couldn't find a piece big enough for even a longbow riser. Might try it again one of these days.....
That snakewood is dang pretty. May pick some of that up for veneer.
Chad
__________________
"We can have no '50-50' allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all."-- Theodore Roosevelt
A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. Ecclesiasties 10:2
The last four letters in American..........I Can
The last four letters in Republican........I Can
The last four letters in Democrats.........Rats
Heaviest riser wood?
