do you do all of your own bow work? arrows?

[boom]

i'm buying a new bow. going with two cams this time.

i dont live particularly close to any good bowshops. my bow is shipping to a shop 96 miles away. needless to say, i cant just jump in my truck to go get bow help..although, i will, and do, and have. it sucks.

i want to go "all in". i have been looking at building a draw board, buying a bench-top bow press, scales, tools..etc. $$$$$$$!

anyone here, 100% self sufficient?

i cannot even tie a d-loop? i have a lot to learn. i have learned how to press my single cam bow with my portable press and put twist in to move things around. with the new bow, i am starting over. bummed.

i can take a motor out of a Porsche 911, i think i can do this..

any tips? next year's gear money is going into bow tools.

 

[boom]

oh, a good friend is buying all the arrow building tools. we should be good together tool wise.

 

[quarbles]

i have to be self sufficient as i have no shop nearby. since getting my bow i've swapped out cams, changed mods, changed limbs, tuned my bow and build my own arrows aside from getting them cut. everything i've learned has been through asking questions on forums and picking brains through private message; coupled with youtube. i've made mistakes and had to get totally different arrows as i wasn't savy with what to look at in arrows as far as weight/ foc/ ect, even a different bow (too short ata for my draw length to anchor consistently/ comfortably) but i'm getting there....
now i like to geek out on little details.

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

If your serious about archery and don't have an awesome shop close by you gotta learn it yourself and get all the tools. I've been doing it all on my own the last two years and it's given me a ton of confidence that I know my bow is dialed in and everything is done right and to my standards of quality! And that if something happens I know how to fix it for the most part.
I still have a ton to learn but it's a fun a rewarding process.

 

[boom]

If your serious about archery and don't have an awesome shop close by you gotta learn it yourself and get all the tools. I've been doing it all on my own the last two years and it's given me a ton of confidence that I know my bow is dialed in and everything is done right and to my standards of quality! And that if something happens I know how to fix it for the most part.
I still have a ton to learn but it's a fun a rewarding process.

you live nearby me..haha. curious. what is your bowshop?

i met this guy that drives around with a bowpress in his truck. pretty cool. he shoots up at Diablo.

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

My garage!! Not $h!t for bow shops here.....

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

You will want an EZ press a bitzenberg fletching jig pretty much any arrow saw will do I'm using a Cabelas one with good results so far. Arrow squaring tool, idk drawing a blank right now! I know I have way more stuff lol.

You a member at Diablo?

 

[boom]

You a member at Diablo?

i just quit my membership. i got a notice at the beginning of the year, saying i didnt do any work hours. there was no debating them, so i paid my missing work hours and bailed. i never thought to keep my own work log. my mistake..i cant blame anyone but myself.

i was one of the "younger" members, so they always gave me the heavy lifting..trenching, chainsawing, stacking wood. i'm cool with doing it, and watching the older members..sweep something. but it was tough to lose those hours.

now i just shoot at Redwoods. tad further, more crowded.thinking of joining that club.

 

[forkehornreggie]

EZ Press by Last Chance Archery and build yourslef a draw board. Very easy. Utilize You Tube.

 

[weaver]

I have a bowmaster bow press and a home made arrow saw. Not ideal but it gets the job done. Also made a draw board. Have done all my own tuning and arrow building for years even though i have a great shop only 10min from me.

 

[OR Archer]

I do my own bow work but I also work in a shop so I have access to all the tools I need. One thing I always tell guys who are beginning to work on their own equipment is to keep a log book of all your bow measurements. This way if something doesn't work out the way you had planned you have the data at hand to put everything back as you had it before you started.

I also suggest getting the best tools you can afford. I am a big fan of the EZ Press from Last Chance Archery. It can press pretty much any bow out there and puts very little stress on the bow. For home use the hand crank option would be just fine. A good fletching jig is also important. Bitzenburg is my choice. Pair it with a good arrow squaring tool. I wouldn't invest into an arrow saw. Just have the shop you get your shafts from cut them to your desired length. Also invest into some good allen wrench sets. A T handle set, a regular long handle set, and a regular multi wrench set. You will also need to make a draw board. I'm not a fan of the horizontal boards. I'd try and build one that mimicks the Hooter Shooter if I could. Doesn't need to shoot the bow but it will allow you to move around the bow so you can get a better look at the cams while setting the timing.

 

[boom]

Thanks! I'm gonna try for the EZ green press.

 

[tipsntails7]

Agree with Or archer, you can pass on the arrow saw, you have to go to the shop to buy arrows and they will usually cut them for free, also a good bow press is a must, i would have really liked to get an ez press but went with an x style press because my father owns a pse and a buddy owns a bear and both are past parallel bows, so keep that in mind as well.

 

[bowuntr]

I've been doing all the work on my bows for 28 years... I don't know any better. I have a home made EZ press, cutoff saw, draw board.... Ed F

 

[AGPank]

After awhile I started all my own work. Started with a Martin, you can back limb bolts all the way out and take off the string without a press. Not ideal for routine work. Have a bow master press, good to take on trips, but slow. Use a ratchet if you get one. I now have a bow time machine, bought it from a guy on archery talk. A press is an expensive investment. It's a press and draw board in one. If your handy with a welder there are plans around the net on how to build one

I use a dremmel tool to cut arrows and an arrow squaring tool. I have a bitzenberg fletching jig, it works well, but not sure if it's what I would buy if I had to do it all over again. Many members at our club have the bohning tower and like it.

I just don't trust someone else with my bow. Had a guy a bass pro run a cable through a yoke, not sure what would have happened if my friend who was just learning shot it.

Working on bows is a little scary, I feel like I'm pulling a pin on a grenade and trying to put it back together.

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

Agree with Or archer, you can pass on the arrow saw, you have to go to the shop to buy arrows and they will usually cut them for free, also a good bow press is a must, i would have really liked to get an ez press but went with an x style press because my father owns a pse and a buddy owns a bear and both are past parallel bows, so keep that in mind as well.

FYI


You can buy fingers for an ez press to press beyond parallel bows.

 

[chobbs]

I run a small shop and use the Bow Time Machine as well. It can press anything out there and is very intuitive. Your confidence will go up using that press. It does also have a built in draw board so you don't have to build your own. It can be bench mounted or mounted on a tripod and slid out of the way. You can also use it horizontally or vertically. Just buy a bow vise/clamp to mount on your bench and your are totally good to go after that.

 

[jmez]

I do all of my own work. I have the EZ green press and it is perfect for home use. Built my own draw board with plans from AT, it cost about $20 and took half an hour.

Some tips. Take pictures of both sides of both cams so you always have a reference for routing cables and strings. I just have them stored in my phone. Write down how the cables are routed through the roller guard/slide and where they cross. The serving on your cables will not pull free of the roller guard. You need to slide the cable until the serving is free and the string material, being thinner, pulls right out. Don't disassemble the roller guard. If things are not right or going well just put the bow back to factory specs and start over. When replacing strings and cables the first few times, do them one at a time and put the new one on as you are taking the old one off. When you replace stings and cables put them on and then measure ATA, brace height and draw weight. If these are way off you likely have cables that are too long or too short. Stop right here and call the builder. This is common, even with big name builders. Don't spend a week screwing with it thinking you are doing something wrong.

If you are going to measure strings and cables they need to be under 100lbs or tension when measured. If you measure them under no load and they are too long it will be even worse under tension. Get a new set. Make adjustments by twisting and untwisting cables. Leave the string alone unless you are trying to make very small draw length adjustments. The strings and cables are pretwisted and will be tied together when you get them. Don't let them twist or untwist from how they come to you when you unpackage and put them on.

YouTube and AT are both great resources. There is no such thing as a stupid question, if you don't know ask.

 

[mtbshark]

Is the time machine worth $130+ more than an ez green?

 

[boom]

Is the time machine worth $130+ more than an ez green?

good que.

the time machine can pull incrementally so you can perfectly time the cams? seems like the action is pretty fast..3 clicks presses a bow. it can nail the position right before the draw stops hit?

might be a pretty good buy. i'd spend $130 easy on over engineering a draw board..ha..

but i do like draw boards that pull the bow in the upright position. hmm. thanks for the food for thought fellas.

edit: thinking about this more. you could easily adapt an extra trailer hitch to hold the thing in the field! wouldnt take up much space in a truck for sure.