Chek-Mate Riser and Limb Wood Recommendations?
11-06-2003, 02:24 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 82
Chek-Mate Riser and Limb Wood Recommendations?
After considering the purchase of a mass produced recurve vs. a custom bow, I have decided to order a Chek-Mate recurve. I' ve been corresponding with Chad via email and he recommends a 64" Kings Pawn model due to my draw length. Now I have to decide on which woods to select. I would sure appreciate your input. My foremost priorty is performance. If the bow can perform and look nice too, so much the better.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Thanks in advance for your help.
11-06-2003, 04:19 PM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Windsor Locks CT USA
Posts: 464
RE: Chek-Mate Riser and Limb Wood Recommendations?
I' ve had 4 Crusaders, 4 Falcons and a Hunter II. The nicest looking and smoothest shooting woods in my humble opinion are as follows:
Risers
Macassar ebony, heavy, stable, sweet looking.
Bolivian Rosewood, heavy, stable, sweet looking!
Cocobola, heavy, stable, nice looking!!
Purple Heart, different looking.
Curly maple would make a great looking and stable riser
Limb cores
Yew
Walnut
Limb Veneers
Curly Birdseye maple
Waterfall Bubinga
Macassar Ebony
Marc and Chad can come up with some awesome wood combos. Talk to Chad about what cool pieces of wood they have on hand. The big guy won' t steer you wrong.
Risers
Macassar ebony, heavy, stable, sweet looking.
Bolivian Rosewood, heavy, stable, sweet looking!
Cocobola, heavy, stable, nice looking!!
Purple Heart, different looking.
Curly maple would make a great looking and stable riser
Limb cores
Yew
Walnut
Limb Veneers
Curly Birdseye maple
Waterfall Bubinga
Macassar Ebony
Marc and Chad can come up with some awesome wood combos. Talk to Chad about what cool pieces of wood they have on hand. The big guy won' t steer you wrong.
11-06-2003, 05:03 PM
#3
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: California
Posts: 600
RE: Chek-Mate Riser and Limb Wood Recommendations?
Here are a couple of riser choices, and one limb choice. I believe they are standard, but could be mistaken.
The riser is made up of Bubinga and Shedua, the limbs are Red Elm.
The riser is made up of Bubinga and Shedua, the limbs are Red Elm.
11-06-2003, 05:10 PM
#4
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,175
RE: Chek-Mate Riser and Limb Wood Recommendations?
Willie, I' ll probably be ordering the same bow in the near future. I' ve decided on bubinga riser (or maybe imbuya... might have to flip a coin at the last moment before placing the order
), red elm limbs and clear glass.
), red elm limbs and clear glass.
11-06-2003, 06:40 PM
#5
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location:
Posts: 823
RE: Chek-Mate Riser and Limb Wood Recommendations?
Exciting, ordering a new bow huh ?
For performance, you cannot beat cane and carbon in the limbs IMO. You' ll take a bit of performance away from adding laminations to cover the black carbon and/or the color/texture of cane. My TD bow has cane limbs, both side and I love the look.
I' ll tell ya, the prettiest bow I have ever owned was this one ... a Horne bow with birdseye maple and bocote in the riser and bocote limbs. Just a beautiful combination.
That said, I had Adcock build me an ACS and got it with black glass front and back, ebony riser with white strips, overlays and tips - all black and white. That' ll be different .....
For performance, you cannot beat cane and carbon in the limbs IMO. You' ll take a bit of performance away from adding laminations to cover the black carbon and/or the color/texture of cane. My TD bow has cane limbs, both side and I love the look.
I' ll tell ya, the prettiest bow I have ever owned was this one ... a Horne bow with birdseye maple and bocote in the riser and bocote limbs. Just a beautiful combination.
That said, I had Adcock build me an ACS and got it with black glass front and back, ebony riser with white strips, overlays and tips - all black and white. That' ll be different .....
11-06-2003, 07:42 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Goose Creek SC
Posts: 1,097
RE: Chek-Mate Riser and Limb Wood Recommendations?
Bubinga and purpleheart in the riser, standard woods, and walnut lams, also standard lams. I would dress it up a bit and get either birdseye bocote or waterfall bubinga veneers on the limbs. The birdseye bocote would make an excellent contrast with the riser.
Chek-mate does not offer either carbon or bamboo for the limbs. The next best option, walnut.
Bill
Chek-mate does not offer either carbon or bamboo for the limbs. The next best option, walnut.
Bill
11-15-2003, 07:51 PM
#8
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ohio USA
Posts: 373
RE: Chek-Mate Riser and Limb Wood Recommendations?
LOL I am having the same problem right now. In the middle of ordering a longhorn and trying to get it pretty near to black I think.Riser limbs and all. Chad is working on seeing what we can come up with to come close. I have yet to see a ugly chek mate and I have seen a few
Good luck with whatever ya decide on but I am sure you will be happy with it
Good luck with whatever ya decide on but I am sure you will be happy with it
11-15-2003, 07:59 PM
#9
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Mississippi USA
Posts: 15,296
RE: Chek-Mate Riser and Limb Wood Recommendations?
Different bowyers have different opinions on what woods work best in the limbs--and although the answers may be completely different, they may all be correct--it can vary with the bowyer' s experiences and the bow design, and could even vary with where they get their materials. I' ve talked with several bowyers about bamboo--some love it, some are indifferent (it' s ok, but nothing special to them), and some won' t use it. The same could be said about other woods.
Chek-Mate has experimented with bamboo and carbon, and didn' t see any real benefits to using it. I am pretty sure carbon could be added for a small charge, but don' t think it' s needed in these bows. I have been shooting traditional bows for 10 years or so, and have owned and shot a LOT of different bows. I doubt very seriously if you put two identical bows in my hands, one with carbon and one without, that I could tell the difference. Chek-Mate found no benefits to bamboo over yew in their bows, and the yew is generally more durable in the long run. Chek-Mate has been in bussiness (under the same ownership) for over 30 years, the current bowyer has been there for over 17 years, and he has produced in excess of 10,000 bows, so I trust he knows his stuff with their designs.
The best performing woods for limbs, according to Marc and in my own experience as well, are yew and black walnut. None of the woods they offer are " dogs" , but you will see a little increase with these. Extremely smooth drawing also. For a riser, I prefer the more dense woods, such as cocobolo or Bolivian rosewood. The veneer they have is purely cosmetic--it won' t affect performance one way or the other. It is only 42/1,000 of an inch thick--thinner than a sheet of paper--dang pretty stuff though.
I have a hard time deciding what I like best as far as looks--the veneers are beautiful and real eye-catchers, but even the standard woods have a subtle beauty that you may have to look at twice to notice, but it' s there. My #1 bow has a cocobolo riser and yew limbs, but the one I have on order for myself will have veneer.
Hope this helps,
Chad
Chek-Mate has experimented with bamboo and carbon, and didn' t see any real benefits to using it. I am pretty sure carbon could be added for a small charge, but don' t think it' s needed in these bows. I have been shooting traditional bows for 10 years or so, and have owned and shot a LOT of different bows. I doubt very seriously if you put two identical bows in my hands, one with carbon and one without, that I could tell the difference. Chek-Mate found no benefits to bamboo over yew in their bows, and the yew is generally more durable in the long run. Chek-Mate has been in bussiness (under the same ownership) for over 30 years, the current bowyer has been there for over 17 years, and he has produced in excess of 10,000 bows, so I trust he knows his stuff with their designs.
The best performing woods for limbs, according to Marc and in my own experience as well, are yew and black walnut. None of the woods they offer are " dogs" , but you will see a little increase with these. Extremely smooth drawing also. For a riser, I prefer the more dense woods, such as cocobolo or Bolivian rosewood. The veneer they have is purely cosmetic--it won' t affect performance one way or the other. It is only 42/1,000 of an inch thick--thinner than a sheet of paper--dang pretty stuff though.
I have a hard time deciding what I like best as far as looks--the veneers are beautiful and real eye-catchers, but even the standard woods have a subtle beauty that you may have to look at twice to notice, but it' s there. My #1 bow has a cocobolo riser and yew limbs, but the one I have on order for myself will have veneer.
Hope this helps,
Chad
