Toothpick under the sideplate? Yes or No?

[Legolas]

Does this avail the shooter any advantage? Your thoughts...

[ChuckC]

I think it depends on the bow and it's construct.  Many, maybe most modern bows already have a contoured kick plate and rest area for this very reason.

ChuckC

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

It is a viable tuning tool. You can, to some extent, tune the bow to a particular arrow setup. Building out the sideplate will help if the arrow is a tad weak in spine.

[rastaman]

Not unless you have some arrows already cut with the final weight and length you want.  The toothpick will allow you to possibly tune your bow to that particular arrow. It changes the cut to center of your bow. If you have a bow that is showing a weak spine with an arrow, placing something under your strike plate to move the center plate out will bring that bow closer to tune.  You will still have to play with how much or how little to bring out your sideplate until you get it shooting the way you want it.  Hope this didn't confuse you...

[Lefty]

Yes it does in my opinion. The smaller the contact point, the less any bow torque will effect arrow flight.

[NBK]

I've used them on my heavier risered recurves and t/d longbows.  My one piece longbows with a smaller shelf don't really need them.  I do like one under the rug even more.

[Kris]

Not much cost in trying it for yourself.  Place toothpick (flat paper book matches, w/o head, are used too) under vertical strike plate or  horizontal rest, along the axis line with the throat of your grip.  If no throat (Hill style, etc.) middle of each will do.  Commonly seen more so on recurves than longbows.  

Another tuning trick for your bag.

Good luck!

Kris

[bruinman]

I like to use a small section of a leather shoe lace.

[Brock]

I use a short piece of leather shoelace and scribe the ends before putting under rest/plate....

[MikeS]

I have seen it work for me in the past when I couldn't quite tweak it enough.

[hvyhitter]

bamboo skewers are a bit thicker than "toothpicks"......install full thickness and file/sand down to tune, cover with thin sideplate when done............

[ishoot4thrills]

I use this and/or a match stick if I need to build out my strike plate in order to tune my bow to my arrows if the arrows are too weak.

What other reason would there be?

[Tajue17]

nope,, stopped doing that years ago because it just hid my mistakes then when I shot bows that didn't have a tooth pick I was bumping the arrows..   I long since cured the tourque problem soon after I removed all those toothpicks from all my bows and tune for the correct arrow.

thats just me though if it works for other folks  and helps them shoot better then its all good.

[Tajue17]

delete double post

[Brock]

I dont do it to build out the plate...I do it as it makes the pivot point the arrow touches considerably smaller so any light torque of hand on bow wont impact arrow as much as a regularly radiused shelf and strike window.

[Stumpkiller]

If you place it correctly it will minimize any slight bow twist after string release.  Place it right over the deepest part of the grip.  I use thin leather strips - or a paper match was what I was taught to use under a thin leather sideplate.

 

[V I Archer]

I put one under the plate and under the rest, my thought is minimum contact.  May be incorrect thinking, but it works for me.

[Greybark]

On my recurves with their asociated shelf cut to center I use those pointy end toothpicks . the upward taper molds into your strike plate . I understand that the arrow may be to far over towards centershot where it is hard to induce Archers Paradox , the toothpick moves the arrow out to where paradox happens naturaly .

   Cheers from the Country that has everything except the Stanley Cup .....

[Flying Dutchman]

There are two main ways of tuning:
- tuning the arrows to your bow
- tuning your bow to your arrows


Placing a toothpick under the strikeplate means you are tuning your bow to your arrows. You make the bow less center cut, allowing you to shoot arrows with a weaker spine.

[Flying Dutchman]

There are two main ways of tuning:
- tuning the arrows to your bow
- tuning your bow to your arrows


Placing a toothpick under the side plate means you are tuning your bow to your arrows. You make the bow less center cut, allowing you to shoot arrows with a weaker spine.