lowering the shelf on a recurve.

[ozy clint]

james- that may be so but i can always build it back up to where it was with some leather if i find it makes things worse. nothing ventured nothing gained.

[ErikT]

I recently modified the grip on a Bighorn t/d recurve that I custom ordered in 1994.  I ordered it with a "small grip" and my request was obviously overlooked.  The throat depth and width were too large for my small hands and the shelf was also about 1/2" above the highest part of my hand.  I shot it this way for years until I finally worked up the nerve to modify it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Instead of lowering the shelf, I chose to gradually raise the pivot point on the grip, thus bringing the shelf closer to my hand.  In the process I also narrowed the grip and reduced the throat depth.  I wish I would have done it years ago.  The bow is much more comfortable to shoot and I find that I am putting less torque on the grip and the shelf is now right on top of my hand.

Place the riser in a vertical position in a vice using a thick piece of leather as a pad. Use a quality 1/2 round wood file (I used a Nicoholson #49 cabinet maker's rasp) and go SLOWLY constantly testing the grip with your hand until it is just right.  Then sand with the grain using 100/120, 150/180, then 220 grit paper until all tool marks are removed.  Then dust the worked area with a polyurathane spray can.

[Bear]

Ozy,

With lots of caution and confidence, get that wood off of there.

I absolutely love my 1965 Kodiak but couldnt stand how high the shelf was. It made me shoot high. Then I learned how Fred Bear took his shelves waaaay down on his own bows. I even saw pics of his personal bows. He took them freakishly low. So I went at it. Man, what a difference.

I'm no "reputable bowyer", but in my slefbow experience and study of glass bows, I dont see where your tiller would be effected much, if any. If it did it would essentially create the same effect as positive tiller, which is a good thing.

Fred Asbell and Fred Bear are fairly reputable bowyers,    and I know what they would do.

[ozy clint]

i took it down today. easily done.
with shelf material on (velcro) the bottom of the arrow is 1/4" above the top of my hand. it just seems more natural to me now.

i put a little paradox channel on too, like someone showed here somewhere. (outside of shelf is a little lower than where the arrow sits)

i'll get to sealing it tomorrow.

easy job, i wouldn't hesitate at doing it again.
i'll get some pics later.

[d. ward]

yes Clint the poly is good and the marine is even better.Pic's later ??? bd

[ozy clint]

 

the two black marks are from test shooting some of my carbons. i'll sand them out tomorrow before i start to seal it.

[Guru]

Looks like your contact points are a bit forward for "optimum"...as in they should probably be above the deepest part of the grip......

I need to work on a bow I have here to radius the shelf and site window  

[ozy clint]

i just read O.L's tuning guide. he mentions that. i'll change it.

[ozy clint]

should both contact points be above the deepest part of the grip?
or does the position of the strike plate contact point not matter so much. it would be hard to move it back when the site window is radiused with the middle part being the thickest.

[p1choco]

Originally posted by ozy clint:
should both contact points be above the deepest part of the grip?
or does the position of the strike plate contact point not matter so much. i would be hard to move it back when the site window is radiused with the middle part being the thickest.

I have always wondered the same thing.  Fortunately for me, the bows that I modified had a flat strike plate, so the ol' toothpick behind the strike plate worked so that the contact points were lined up.  It makes sense especially if you ever shoot canted.

[ozy clint]

i couldn't bring the shelf contact point back without lowering the back side of the shelf a heap. it would be too low then. i could place something under the shelf material in the right spot.

is it going to make a big difference? i haven't seen any bows where both contact points are directly above the deepest part of the grip.

[d. ward]

Clint I always lower the shelf on all my personal shooters.Also I like to make the bow a bit closer to being center shot by removing extra stock from the sight window.bd

[Don Stokes]

The rest should be as far forward as you can get it, and the contact point on the side plate should be directly above the deep point of the grip. That's where you find the best stability, according to Dan Quillian. He set his personal bows up that way, and I do too!

Here's a picture of a crude but effective alteration that I did on one of Dan's later bows, using his methods.
 

You can see from the wear on the side plate that the contact point is above the deep point of the grip, and there's a little leather square glued to the most forward point on the shelf.

While Dan could still shoot, he was working on a design that actually put the rest out in front of the back of the bow, by building it out with putty. It looked weird, and he knew it wasn't marketable, but he claimed that it shot better that way. He loved to tinker, and would take a bow to the belt sander in a heartbeat.

[Don Stokes]

And yes, I cut the shelf away with my pocket knife, and never went back to smooth it out. Crude, like I said. The cutaway shelf gives you more latitude when you can't get perfect form in a hunting situation. Dan's last bows made while he still owned Archery Traditions were made with a cutaway shelf, but the new owners changed it back. Thought it looked too weird, I guess, but it really works.