Brace height

[Ronaldlee]

Would like to know how proper brace height is determined? What is it about brace height that affects accuracy, and the proper way to fine tune it?    Thanks for any information,  Ron

[Aznboi3644]

I like shooting a bow braced at my fistmele with is 6".

[PEARL DRUMS]

No two bows are the same. The proper brace height is when the bow shoots the best and feels the best. No one measurement fits all bows. Sometimes a lower brace height makes a bow more efficient, sometimes it makes the bow worse. They are all different and need to be tuned as such. Start low and twist your way up until the bow behaves properly and record that number either mentally, or with some type of hand measurement.

[bigcountry]

I myself go with the fistmele approach.  

I just don't think you can treat a selfbow same as a fiberglass bow.  For one, a selfbow is rather dynamic.  Changes wieght over time, over weather, etc.  

So sitting there recording numbers in milimeters, I think is a waste of time.  I adjust it to get good feather clearance, and without hittin my arm too much, noice, and go from there.

On glass bows, I think you can put a lot effort into it.

[Shakes.602]

Speaking of Brace Height.... Whats the "Safe Twisting Limit" of a Flemish String to get Brace Height?? My Grand River LongBow is a Shade Short in that I cant get the Fistmele on it. :confused:  
  I Dont want to Crank the String Too Far!! :eek:

[Don Stokes]

Shakes, I don't think you have to worry about too much twist within reason, but you don't want to untwist it too much or the string might come apart.

One person's fistmele may be considerably different from another person's, depending on the size of your hand. I have big hands, and mine is closer to 7".

[Dozuki]

I am just getting into traditional archery so I have to ask. Just what is a fistmele. Thanks for the info.

[AKmud]

Dozuki,

Basically make a fist with your thumb sticking straight up.  Set the heel of your fist against the belly side of the grip and the string should be somewhere near the tip of your thumb.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Thats what it means, but I dont use it. What if you have small hands or big hands? That span can vary an inch or more from person to person.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

What if you don't have thumbs?    
Could you use your foot and big toe?    

Seriously, all joking aside I start around 6" and work my way up by twisting the string until it doesn't slap my arm like hell and my feathers clear the riser when nocked. That's usually when my arras start flying real nice.
Normally on my selfbows it falls around 6 1/2" or so, never had one go a full 7" yet.

Shakes- You can twist a flemish string until it's just about knotted up, but if it starts to knot up on ya.....you went to far.
I've got one wound pretty dang tight and I think it actually performs better than some other ones I have on my bows that don't have half the twist in them.

[Don Stokes]

I use my fistmele for a quick check to be sure my string hasn't stretched. My Bamboo Longhunter likes the skinny string to cross the base of my thumbnail, and my dacron recurves generally like the string above the end of my thumb. It's not an exact science, but once the bow is properly tuned, learning how it compared to your fistmele gives you a reference point that doesn't require a tape measure.

[matts2]

on my bows, if i set it right around 6" then I will tend to get slapped with the string.  Once I crank it up to 6.5"-7" then I am pain free.

[George Tsoukalas]

See of this helps. Jawge
 http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/selfbowcare.html

[Dozuki]

Thanks for the help.  I had never heard of a festmele.  Now I have a place to start if I ever finish my board bow.

[Fmrjarhead49]

I agree that it varies from bow to bow, but for me most of the time it varies between 6.25 - 6.75 for my long bows.