String Tuning

[Stephen Graf]

#4746

Ok, I have a disease… I always shoot to the left. On good days it’s hardly perceptible. On bad days it’s several inches. I have always done this.

So about a week ago I decided to try and cure this problem. I wont go into a lot of detail here, but suffice it to say that I reached a crescendo of frustration. Then I stumbled upon something that worked to fix my problem… I affixed a brass nock set to my string about 4 inches above my nock point.

Now here’s the strange and interesting part. The nock set was not crimped down hard. So as I shot, it was free to move on the string. If I put the nock set way up the string, it migrated down the string over many shots to about 4.5 inches. If I put the nock set just above my nocking point, it migrated up the string to about 4.5 inches. As the nock set migrates around the string, the way the bow shoots is noticeably better as the nock set approached 4.5 inches.

I repeated this experiment with another long bow and got the same results with the exception that the sweet spot was bout 6 inches from the nocking point.

I have been shooting this for about a week now and it seems to have cured my “left side of the target point” disease.

Anybody heard of putting a weight on the upper part of the string as part of a tuning process?

My results indicate that:
-It help me correct a arrow left problem that was not solvable with arrow spine / nocking point adjustments.
-It made the bow quieter
-It didn’t slow the bow down as read by the crono.

I have a normal string setup: 14 strands of fast flight, nock set tied on, an otter silencer above and below nock set.

I know this effect is not “in my head”. I am hoping someone else has experienced this and can add to what I have observed.

[Hiram]

#33510

Makes no sense at all but, if it solved your problem it worked.:) Sounds like a form flaw probably not anchoring tight to the face or too stiff an arrow. Could be a springy bow arm with too much bend in the Bow arm and causing an alignment issue.What prompted you to try this?

[Hiram]

#33514

One more thing that causes this. Do you shoot with a tab? if so the top finger is not curling around the string with an even tension and causes the string to be twisted. Try hooking and weight distribution evenly on the string.

[Steertalker]

#33700

Agree with everything Hiram just said. Assuming you are right handed I would agree that your arrows are tuned to stiff. I can’t see how the loose nock set would have anything to do with correcting the problem. Hey…if it works…great! However, with time I bet you see the “lefties” creep back in.

Brett

[Stephen Graf]

#34546

Hiram – I’ve tried the things you suggest without curing the problem. Without a doubt, the root cause is a form problem. But I don’t think it is a problem I can fix. Sort of like a 1 armed person would have a form problem. As a kid, I broke my left arm several times. It works fine, but it has its quirks.

The reason I tried the nock set on the string is because I was fooling with my nocking point. I wrapped a piece of tape around the string to allow me to nock the arrow in different places on the string. When this failed to show any results for the millionth time, I slid the tape up the string to get it out of the way. That’s when my left issue faded a bit. So I took the tape off carefully and weighted it. It came in at 3 grains. My nock sets are 5 grains. I haven’t used them in a few years ’cause I normally tie my nock set in.

The reason I think there is something to this is because the nock set will migrate up or down the string to its preferred point. I expect it is finding a vibration node.

Brett – I expect to see my “lefties” creep back in…. usually it takes a week or so for that to happen when I change something up. So I waited a week before posting this.

The nock set is not really “loose”. As part of the experiment, I left it loose so it could be pushed up and down the string. After I found the best performance at about 4.5 inches up from the nocking point, I pinched the nock down tight.

1 final observation – When you read the “how to” books. Most talk about fine tuning your bow by moving string silencers up and down. What a pain. I am guessing that having this nock set on the string and moving it around is accomplishing the same thing… only easier.

I am hoping someone else has a “lefties” problem and will give this a try. I would like to know that it isn’t just me…:oops:

No hunting this morning…:D
I got nice doe last night and she is hanging under the porch waiting to get skinned. Also a copperhead in the fridge waiting for the same thing. Shot the head off the snake about 5 minutes before shooting the deer. 12 yards from my tree stand…. oh yea I was feeling good.:D

Now I have the skins for my next bow. I am waiting for a box from Binghams right now… Maybe today it will come!

[Patrick]

#34592

Congrats on the deer and snake. Nice shooting.

I was having a problem with creeping to the left all the time, until I changed my anchor point. I tended not to anchor tight against my face with my old anchor point. Not the case any longer. I referenced it on another thread (titled “anchor point”), and included pictures (although I didn’t mention the tendency to shoot left).

[Hiram]

#44103

Hey post a picture of your Bow when you get done! Congrats on the Doe and have a good season!:D

[Stephen Graf]

#44369

Will do,… if it turns out alright. I coughed up the 180 bucks for some ball bearing guides for my band saw. What a difference. I’ve been cutting out test risers from 2×4’s and boy is it nice. I plan on laying the bow up this weekend.

If the bow turns out ok, It may get the copper head skins. It’s taken 2 years to get 3 decent skins.

[Mark Turton]

#44603

Hi Steve

Repeating myself here but earlier this year a friend took me on one side after identifying a few problems with my bow, eventually he stripped the string of everything including serving, cleaned the string, re-waxed it and served it with a shorter lighter serving. I shot a couple of arrows and we adjusted the knocking point until they were flying about right. He then put in a few extra turns in the string until she quietened down and I shot a few more arrows again adjusting the knocking point. Only then did we reinstall the silencers and now it’s spooky quite and sweet to shoot, I guess in all it took a couple of hours once we really set to.

In the past I have messed with brace height, knock position but that was the first time starting from scratch, well worth the time.

Mark.

[William Warren]

#46174

I’m a lefty and I sometimes have the same problem hitting to the right. I have a takedown that I shoot alot at the club and at home and I really have to pay attention to the string tuning if I have taken it down to go to the club after work. (don’t want to get fired for having a weapon at work so it has to be in a case and out of sight in the car) I think I will try that extra knock to see what it does. What Pothunter said sounds worth doing too. Never thought about reducing the length of my serving.

[Chris Shelton]

#60589

any chance the bow limbs could be twisted? Just a thought?

[Daniel]

#61503

Hold on a minute there gentlemen, I was always made to believe the tab was the way to go in terms of correcting many release problems and the glove was to avoid because they tended to create more, am I off the beaten track here????

Have I fallen off the deep end? Did someone spike my corn flakes? Was I born too late during the day? LOL LOL

Sorry Steve, had to ask 😯

[Hiram]

#63140

No! The tab is superior for several reasons! If it was not the Olympic Archers would all be shooting gloves.:)

[Stephen Graf]

#43631

Hiram – You asked to see pictures of the new bow I was working on… I did a build along of it in the bowyer forum if you are still interested.

It is the first 66 inch bow I have made. Others were 64 inch. So far I have been shooting it a lot better than shorter bows.

There is a trend here for me. I started with 62 inch bows and shot poorly. Moved to 64 inch bows and shot ok. Now with the 66 inch bow I am doing a lot better and no signs of the lefties.

Maybe my next bow will be 150 inches 🙄

[SteveMcD]

#43809

I could never shoot with a tab. Doesn’t feel right for me. Howard Hill, Fred Bear, Byron Ferguson.. many others all shoot or shot with a glove too. I agree with Hiram… it’s most likely, arrow spine and a form issue with release.

Try shooting with a release. 8)

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