Flemish String Making Without Jig

[Archer Dave]

Hey guys. I have always made my flemish strings with a jig, but when I moved I tossed it in the trash figuring I would just make a new one after I built my house.   :rolleyes:

Anyways I needed to make a string for a 62" recurve and found an article which seemed pretty good talking about making flemish strings without a jig.  

This site:

 http://cdlithicsupplies.blogspot.com/

Anyways he says to add 14" to your current string length, but then goes on to say that if you don't have your old string to measure the nock to nock length and subtract 5".

That can't be right as then I would be starting with less string then the final length needs to be.

So I figured that he must have meant that you would add 14" - 5" to get 9" extra from my NTN length.

So I started with 71" for my 62" NTN and ended up 3" short. Not much I can do with that.

So how long should my string bundles be for making a flemish string by hand?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I hate to waste another 60 feet of B50.

Thanks
Dave

[LBR]

String length plus 14-16" should be plenty. Depends on how much you take up in the loops and where you start your second loop.

[Orion]

AMO standard is a string length three inches shorter than your bow length, through lot of folks feel that 4 inches shorter than bow length is right for recurves.  Could take the middle ground, 58 1/2 inch finished string.  (Of course, if you have an old string from your bow, just measure it to get the finish length).  I usually use about 9 inches for the loops on recurves, so would add 18 inches to 58 1/2 inches -- 76 1/2 inches.

Be sure to start your first loop 9 inches from the end of the string.  When you have that one done, put the string on the nock and gently stretch the string along the belly side of the bow to eyeball it to confirm that you also need to start the second loop 9 inches from the end.  Might need to vary the start a half-inch to an inch one way or another.   Works for me.

[Archer Dave]

Thanks guys. I will keep that in mind for my next string.

Out of frugality I went ahead and took out the loop on one end of this string and just tied a timber hitch which I think will work fine. I just hate tossing out good material.