2" fades and 4" handle 8" works just fine, with a board you start with roughly 3/4" in thickness, the starting limb thickness is less than that under 1/2" and the actual fades are the transition to the working limb as everything thicker than the limb shouldn't be bending. A smooth radiused fade that extends past the riser block is how i do it just like in the build a long, heck most of that block gets removed when shaped anyway right