I just got back from vacation and to my surprise, my brother had finished building my bowstring jig. My brother is a welder and he is good with metal so I showed him this video from Sean's Outdoor Adventures to see if he could build me one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zctHIYPvA9c So this is how mine turned out. Even though I am exhausted, I had to get started right away. I already purchased, BCY X material and BCY 3D end serving with a diameter of .016" to make my string. Following Sean's other video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM8lJv3RYuw ) I started to build my string. SO far so good.... Now here comes the serving. I haven't served any thing other than my peep sight. I know its the same concept but this was just a tad bit harder. Especially because I do not have a Silver sharpie to mark the strings so that I know exactly where I needed to serve. So I had to try my best and guess. Of course I had a measuring tape but it was still difficult on how much I needed to wrap the string for the back serving. One side is exactly one inch on both sides of center but the other one is just a tad bit short. (thats why in one of the photos the serving doesn't match up.) After I served both sides, I put the string onto the string stretcher that is built into the jig. and I matched up the the serving on one side. Finally, I put a lot of tension onto the string. Honestly, I do not know the exact amount of pressure because I do not have a scale to measure it. But since I copied Sean's design, I went by his crank calculations. Then I added about 5 to 6 more cranks to make sure it is at or above 300 pounds. And there is my string being stretched. And that is all that is done so far! I will continue to post pictures and the adventure of learning how to build my own as I complete this set. This is for my old Diamond Razor Edge. I wanted to make a set and get a little better at it before I build a set for my Experience. All advice and constructive criticism is welcome! Especially from you Hutch haha :p I am super excited to be able to learn and build my own set of strings. Hopefully they turn out great! Do any of you guys know how long they need to be stretched before moving on? Also should I tighten the string back tighter when they stretch a little or not? Thanks guys! PS I love Sean's videos! have been subscribed for years now and I have loved every single one of his videos.
Well, I woke up this morning and was going to get started right away until I met my first problem. I was going to slide the hooks down the unistrut so that I could move the jig arms down to the end so I could start to work on the cables. When I was loosing the string, I noticed a strand that wasn't as taunt as the others. So i grabbed it and the tag end pulled through my serving.. SO all I had to do was start over. I imagined that it would take a couple of times to get it right. So i made another main string and pulled the serving extra tight. Then I pulled even harder on the serving with pliers. Success! I put the new string on the stretcher and I hit another problem! I was cranking down on the string and all the sudden i heard a pop. I thought my string broke, but it didn't. I cranked it down so much that it pulled the hook past perpendicular and the string popped off. After fixing the hook with leverage, I put the string back into the stretcher and cranked it down. I put right before the hook went past perpendicular. Now it was time to start on the cables. Following the same video from Sean, I made the first one. After I served this 12 count strand string, I served another 12 count serve string. I then lined up the two serving together so that I could serve the other side of the string to put the two halves together. My serving has already gotten better! hopefully you notice! haha The first cable has end serving and is ready to be stretched! I then repeated the process and made my second cable. After my main string is finished stretching. (Most likely I will do it tonight.) I will finish up my main string by doing all the serving on it. On the ends and the nock serving. Once I finish the main string which i will post pictures when I am done, I will stretch one cable and serve it once stretched and repeat for the second cable. Slowly but surely I am learning. Ps. Don't look at the nasty floor! its are back bedroom that I have converted into my home archery shop so it isn't too clean at the moment! haha
Aaron, Many string builders build differently. My build is a little different then yours but never the less its how the string functions afterwards makes the difference. But it looks to me like you off to a good start. Here is a few links that might help http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2062893 http://www.archerylive.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1921 These should give you enough info to help you with your build. Hutch
Thank you Hutch! These links are great and very informative. Thank you for passing the information along. My main string is looking pretty good for my first time building one. I know my second will be even better. With some more time I should get it down!
That's good its coming along good. Its always nice learning something new. Its costly to start up but once you are building for yourself its fun. If you ever decide to go into biz remember to count the costs. You will need a pro jig, and bulk supplies. Plus biz insurance and you will need to pay Federal excise tax. But for the most part building is fun. Hutch
I don't think i would do this as a business. I would just refer them to you. haha I just wanted to see if i could make my own. I needed new strings and I said i might as well go for it. I have the first set completed and I have learned a LOT. I will post an update with pictures and write up. Thanks hutch!
Sorry that I hadn't posted the finish up on this already. We lost a couple of people at work here recently, so I have been swamped here lately. After I finished stretching the main string, I backed down the tension to 100 lbs so that i could put the rest of the end serving on the string. I then finish with the back serving onto the end serving. It turned out pretty great from my point of view. here is another view. I also did the other side of the main string the same way and all that was left on the main string was the center serving. Before the center serving, I spun the string to get it to the length that it needed to be. On the center serving I wanted to still use the same red serving that I had so what I did was switch out the serving material for my .018 black serving material. I served the center serving with that, then I put the red serving back on. I served over the black serving with the red serving. I did jack up the top of the center serving when I was finishing it up with the back serving. But none the less, I didn't feel like cutting it off and doing it again so I just went with it. I then put that string off with some metal hooks in the end loops to keep it from untwisting. I started on the cables now. I stretched each cable with 300 lbs then served it under 100 lbs of tension. here is the end of one side of the yoke system. Then I put the other side of the yoke system into the stretcher and served the end as well. Then I moved to the other side of the cable and served that side. I then served 7 inches from the end of the split yoke system. I repeated those steps for the other cable and my first set is complete!! I was excited to put them on the bow. I am in the process of tuning it up. But honestly I don't think I can. I think it is the bow. With it being a cheaper bow, I am not surprised. Nor did I know that the bottom lime is cracked just a little. I have been messing with it all week to see if i can get into time But the top cam is always just slightly behind the bottom cam. The cables are perfectly in center of the timing marks on the cams but it still isn't in time. Nor can I get rid of the cam lean. When I try to get rid of the came lean, the cam comes into contact with one side of the yoke system. Before I bought my Bowtech Experience in 2013, these were the same problems that I was running into with this diamond Razor edge. SO i don't believe the string is what is wrong but the bow. I will keep tweaking it and see if i can get it fixed. Other than that IT IS A SUCCESS! It isn't perfect but i knew that the first string set that i would build wouldn't be perfect. THE THINGS THAT I WILL CHANGE NEXT TIME: 1. string length: I measured the sting jig so that it would be just a little longer than what was needed. But Since my bowstring jig has the big bolts as the end pieces that added more length that I originally figured. So when I was getting the string and cables to the length required I had to add more spins than I wanted to. To me it seemed the string was twisted more than any string that I have seen. To me it isn't bad, just needs a little less length the next go around. 2. different serving material: I have already ordered more serving material. I ordered .017 halo serving that is red for the end serving and I then ordered .025 braided serving for the center serving that is red and black. 3. String weights: I bought some TPU speed nocks so that I could add them to the strings. 4. String silencers: I bought some bowjax string silencers to add to the cables and strings. Those are the things that I will change/ do differently next time. Thought the bow won't tune right, Building my first strings were a success!!! I am still open to more criticism and help. I hope you guys enjoyed!
it is good to see folks learn how to build their own strings , you will find that the more you make the more you will learn and you will come into your own way of building ... only thing i suggest is getting some stiffer jig post that will not flex when adding tension , the flexing will cause slack in the strands .
Thank you brother. Thats why i chose the thick bolt posts so that it would be sturdy. I did find that some strings had more slack than others because of that reason. Im hoping to start building another set tomorrow afternoon/monday. I will definitely post some pictures of how it goes.
Oh yea , and the unistrut can and will flex as well , it needs to be bolted to a table , 4x4 post , or even bolted with another piece of unitsrut . I have my set up on a work bench with the unistrut bolted every 2.5 feet ..I stretch and serve my strings at 350 lbs ..
Yes i did notice that! i noticed that when I stretched the strings but i didnt notice it when I was putting the end loop serving on. When I build my next set tomorrow I am going to stop and get a 4 by 4 and some lag bolts to fix it down. I am ready to build the next set!
This is my main string for my main bow! It turned out great!!! I can shoot bullets through paper, I have walk back turned it and modified french tuned it! Now on to bare shaft and broadhead tuning. I am excited. Only FLAW: When putting on the serving on the main string, I must have accidentally put one off the servings the opposite way going against the twist of the strings. I thought I did my best to have them all the same way, But my peep twists when being pulled back every time. But it is manageable so I will leave it for now. Took it too my bow shop ad they said that it looked great!
Fun learning an art! When you get time just take that string and remove the serving and reserve it. So you can call it flawless lol Congrats! Hutch
