A word of encouragement to work on your own bow

hog&deerhunter

Ten Pointer
Support your local shops, but you can save time and money to do your own work. No more waiting for your bow to be ready. No more frustration if it was not done to your satisfaction.

A bowmaster portable press can work wonders for around $40.00, or you can build your own press.

Great custom strings can be had in your choice of colors from Vapor Trail or other places. These are high quality strings with fantastic servings.

You can serve in your peep sights (or other accessories) with a spool of Brownell #4 nylon serving material. A spool is only around $5.00 and comes in all kinds of colors.

A fletching jig is a must have to repair or build new arrows. Want to have some fun? Create custom shafts with wraps and vanes/feathers that are unique to your personality. Fix those arrows you have laying around with busted up vanes.

If you want to cut your raw shafts, you can buy an arrow saw or make one. You can always have them cut where you order them.

Youtube is full of great instructional videos. Everything from adjusting drop away rests to installing sights, peeps and kissers and how to tune your bow.

Lancaster Archery and Bowhunters International Super Store is where I get a lot of my supplies.

Unsure about something? Archery Talk is a great place to find out.

You will save money right out of the gate and get to know your bow like never before and eliminate any fear of screwing something up. It's not rocket surgery, and you will enjoy the extension of your sport.
 

25contender

Twelve Pointer
I found a press that works great for parallel and past parallel bows. It is pricey but works extremely well.It is the Synunm Archery Portable Bow Press. It is really a great press that you can carry with you on trips or use at the house.
 

Banjo

Old Mossy Horns
I would still prefer a pro shop. I am a do-it-yourselfer, but I usually end up with too many things to do and run out of time. It is money well spent in my opinion!


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25contender

Twelve Pointer
I have been doing my own bow work for almost 30 years now.The best thing about doing the work yourself is that you can learn about how your bow works. Then you can do any repairs in a pinch without having to drive all over to find a good bowsmith.
 

Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
3 Rivers Archery is also a great source for TRADITIONAL archery supplies.
Amen and Lancaster as well. There are compound shops all over but I've got very little available in the way of traditional archery gear around here. Initially I was doing it to save money and be more well self-sufficient but I found that the more I did the more I enjoyed it. I started off with a simple Arizona fletching jig. Then got a Bitzenberger and a serving tool in a hodge-podge box of archery gear from ZG I believe and passed the Arizona on to MoBucks. With those two tools now I do all of my own fletching, arrow building, and center servings. The natural progression was building my own strings so I built an adjustable endless loop string jig with some UniStrut salvaged from an HVAC job and a handful of nuts and bolts from Lowes. Ordered some Halo and 8190 off of Ebay and for what I'd pay for 2-3 custom strings(and wait a week or two and hope they fit) I've built at least 8 or 10 custom strings and I have enough materials left to build quite a few more. I can have whatever strand count I want, pad the loops to my satisfaction, etc. and now I can build one start to finish in about a half hour.

My fletching comes from a few guys here that have graciously saved their turkey wings for me and they are much appreciated. I cut them to the profile I like with a Lil Chopper from 3Rivers. I use to have them processed but this year I'll do that as well right here at home. I may snatch up a few ready-made colored TrueFlights once and awhile for "rooster" feathers if I can buy'em cheap but the majority of my arrows sport all natural barred turkey feathers. I love'em because they're naturally waterproof and I don't have to treat them or worry about them if I get caught in a shower.

If I need or see some kind if archery gear that I like and I can build it...I'll have one made shortly. Quivers, tabs....you name it and I can usually build it from stuff I have laying around or find at garage sales and flea markets.
 

kilerhamilton

Old Mossy Horns
Nice troll. I have my own press but don't advertise working on bows or doing work. Go see your local bow shop and support them.


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kilerhamilton

Old Mossy Horns
P.S. We have great shop owners on this sight an out of respect no one here talks about working on there own stuff or marketing themselves. They have to make a living to.


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25contender

Twelve Pointer
What is wrong with talking about working on your own bow and giving tips on working on your own bows? I dont see anyone promoting themselves. Isn't this a archery forum?
P.S. We have great shop owners on this sight an out of respect no one here talks about working on there own stuff or marketing themselves. They have to make a living to.


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Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
The last thing I'd do is disrespect any private business owner, I spent money at Terry's yesterday, he's also a good friend but as I said, I rarely have that option shooting traditional gear....
 

kilerhamilton

Old Mossy Horns
Sorry, maybe That didn't come out right. I was not calling anyone out. It is fine to work on your own stuff. Its fine to ask questions. But why make a post talking about.... pretty much in a bucket, hey every one work on your own stuff. you can get it cheaper and don't have to wait around.. That's not helping store owners out or the OP. It would be like opening a thread saying work on your own car it saves time and money and you don't have to pay high overhead prices. Well that is correct and obvious but most prefer to go to a mechanic because they don't have the time nor want to learn. Same with working on a bow. I'm glad the OP is a real go getter but the post was just kinda weird. You wouldn't want for someone to throw your businesses under the bus. Hey youtube how to wire up a breaker panel rather than call your local electrician. Just an example. If you don't understand where I am coming from then I'm sorry and will drop it.
 
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hog&deerhunter

Ten Pointer
As far as paper tuning in your yard, I made a nifty stand with some conduit for the upright legs and then framed it out with some scrap 1x2 lumber. Used fender washers and small carriage bolts. I built it to the dimension of builders paper that you can purchase by the roll at Home Depot or Lowes. Simply staple the paper onto the frame.. The conduit works great for the upright legs because you can stand up the frame with a couple of pieces of rebar hammered into the ground. You can get fancy and build a roller for the paper too, or just pre-cut the paper and staple it on.

I also use this frame when I pattern various turkey loads. It also a great target stand for your rifles.
 

Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Kilerhamilton I can appreciate your intentions, I do, but most all of us are pretty DIY oriented and anything we can share to save another member time or money we share. No different than going to the General forum and asking one of our resident mechanics about how to diagnose or fix a car. I've never advocated snubbing anyone who owns a shop of any kind but we buy and sell firearms and bows here all the time...is that snubbing the gun and bow shop guys? I hope not because it's not likely to change.....

If you need a pro shop to handle things you can't DIY by all means take it to the shop. If you don't have the time, again, by all means take it to a shop. But the things I can do for myself I do to save me time and money and if I can share and do the same for another forum member I will.
 

hog&deerhunter

Ten Pointer
Nice troll. I have my own press but don't advertise working on bows or doing work. Go see your local bow shop and support them.


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P.S. We have great shop owners on this sight an out of respect no one here talks about working on there own stuff or marketing themselves. They have to make a living to.

I don't work on other people's bows nor advertise as such. I am not marketing a thing. Nice troll? :confused: Not sure why you think that, but to put your mind at ease, I don't think any shops lost any business because of me. :D

Administrators: I apologize for breaking the rule about talking about working on our own stuff. I will do it in secret via PM's for now on. :D

See ya.
 

racinjason

Four Pointer
im pretty sure archery talk has more bow shop sponsors than this fourm and that is how i figured out how to make my own press and vise there are hundreds of threads about working on your own bows and how to do so. i think this is a good thread some people just need a little confidence booster to get started working on there own bows. its very rewarding to be practicing go put your bow in the press tinker with it a little then go back to shooting and notice the improvement instantly.
 
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