string way off: how to fix

[bow-guy]

I have just picked backup where I left off 2 years ago with my selfbow.  

The string is way off to the left when braced.  My tips are wide so I was thinking of narrowing the tips but I don't know which side to reduce. The left or right side of the tip to help bring the string back to center.

It is made of Douglas maple/rocky mtn maple 45# @ 28" and 66" ntn.


Also I think I can reduce wood from the opposite side of limb of where the string is off to help move the string.

What do you guys/gals think?

[George Tsoukalas]

Can you show a pic of the braced bow and the problem area? Don't narrow the tips yet and did you reduce the handle yet? Jawge

[bow-guy]

I did a hot-dry treatment on the upper limb and the string is getting closer to the center. The tips are about 5/8" wide. And the pictures ....

 
 
 
 
 

[bow-guy]

Thanks for your support.

I will be out of town (on a WA mountain Lake with family) until monday so please have a great day and weekend!

bow-guy

[shamus]

You could heat the handle and give it a bend to get the string in line.

[Jeremy]

Are you right handed?  If so, put a rest on the bow and shoot it!  With rest and strike plate on the bow you'll essentially have a centershot selfbow that should be easy to find arrows for.

Assuming of course the bow is tillered properly and shoots well etc etc.  If it really bugs you, heat the handle like shamus suggests.  If it shoots well, just go and make another  :D

[Eric Krewson]

I corrected a similar problem on a friends bow the other day. I shot with him at a tournament and he couldn't hit the side of a barn with his bow. The bow was his first and only attempt at making a selfbow.

When I saw how poorly his arrows flew I asked to look his bow over. He is right handed and the string was at least an inch off bows handle to the right side.  

I explained how he could fix the problem but he asked if I would take the bow home with me because I had more experience with a heat gun than he did.

I tweaked the tip on the upper limb to the left first as it has a slight dogleg to the right. This barely got the string on the handle. Next I used my contour gage to check for asymmetry side to side on the top in the fade out area, one side was much thicker than the other so I evened things up. Getting all the wood symmetrical will often get the string down the middle.

Here is my contour gage, invaluable for making sure the belly on your bow is even side to side. They cost about $7 at Lowe's.

 

My next step was heating the handle at the arrow pass and moving the top limb to the left just a little. This did the trick and the string was just right over the handle and the bow started launching arrows like it was supposed to, right down the middle.

[Frank]

That's how I make my bows, on purpose.

[George Tsoukalas]

You could have removed wood from the right side of each limb to correct that problem. Heat isn't always the answer. If you caused the problem by uneven wood removal then even it off. If you didn't then you can heat it. By the time you get that bow to final brace height you want even realize the string is off. Id you value your forearm don't shoot it from the "off" side. Shoot it the other way. Jawge

[Roy Steele]

As for me heat isn't the answer.As Jawge said you can take wood off the right side but remenber once woods gone it's gone.And if you don't want to shorten your bow it will be lighter.
  I'd think like Jeremy and flip it over and just shoot it.

[bow-guy]

thanks for the help,  you guys are the best!!

[Tom Leemans]

I had an upper limb go goofy on me while making a reflex/deflex BBO once. It was looking good through long string, then the top of the limb hung a left turn when braced with the regular string. Prolly something going on with the grain in the slat. Anyway, I planed 1/16" off the strong side of that limb, then narrowed the lower limb equally on both sides, reshaped (refaceted) everything and proceeded on with tillering. Instead of a 60# bow, I ended up with slightly narrower, 52# bow that shoots great. It's my favorite bow. (It's name is "Nightmare")