Posted: 4/6/2012 4:05:22 PM EDT
[Last Edit: VBC][Edited]
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Anybody have a bowpress or make one? Countless times I've used the Bowmaster portable bow press with fear, but success, until the other night. I wanted to make some adjustments to the string/cables on my PSE Vendetta XL, but had gotten lazy about checking the alignment of the Bowmaster split limb brackets before I put them on. I've used it so many times without an issue I got the point I was just slapping the brackets on without checking the adjustments. Well, I cranked her down and was just about to start taking the string off when THWAP! In an instant I was looking at a pile of bow parts where my bow once sat.
That'll make you pause and reflect for a moment. First I was thankful that all my body parts were still there. All I got was a small nick on my thumb. Then I was about the cry over the thought that I just destroyed my bow. 
One of the brackets had slipped off the limbs and on its violent way up had thrashed the cable guard rod, gouging it and bending it upwards like a gorilla took hold of it. Good thing my hand wasn't there, or worse yet, my head. It would have probably taken it clean off. Well I composed myself and began inspecting the pieces of the bow. Miraculously, despite the cable guard, only a very small chip was taken out of the pocket end of one of the limbs, in a non-critical area, as it flew out of the limb pocket. There were also couple of marred spots on the outside edges of the cams where the brackets hit, but the insides of the tracks were still true and the cams spun straight. So I took a round needle file and some 600 grit sandpaper and patiently smoothed over all the rough spots. After I sanded the chip out of the limb, I thoroughly ran a cotton swab over all of the limbs to check for any cracks. I also flexed each with my hands to listen for creaking. Everything checked out ok. So I started reassembling. Heck it gave me a good opportunity to regrease everything anyway. Then I began wondering how I would restring the bow. With the limbs completely flexed out, there isn't enough reach on the Bowmaster. So I ended up using a combination of a cinch strap hooked into beefy looking spots on the cams and my draw board to get the limbs flexed down enough to fit the Bowmaster back on the limbs (this time with the brackets ALIGNED). With one more use of the cinch strap as I drew limbs down so I could reset the cable pay out on the Bowmaster, I was able to get the cables and strings back on the bow. Then came the poor cable guard rod. I thought about calling PSE to order a replacemenet, but I figured I would try to straighten the one I have. So I took some aluminum bar stock to protect it from the teeth of the bench vise, my big fucking hammer, and a piece of 5/8 brass rod for a punch and massaged the cable guard straight again. The metal of that cable guard is TOUGH. It has some flex in it, which made it hard to straighten. It would bend just a tiny bit with each whack of the hammer, which was fortunate because it allowed me to get it pefectly straight again. 
So with some Aluminum cold bluing, I concealed the bare aluminum spots and she's back in business. Then I ordered an EZ Green Press. 
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I 've had a bowmaster for years and found them to be incredibly useful. one of the best things about them is they take up zero space.
I like the EZ Press style, but there were a few things I wanted to do differently so I went ahead and made my own. Crappy basement pics: 
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I bought a used bow off ebay. Its an older pse bow. Its a compound but its quite long axle to axle. about 4 feet. Being new to this, i bought a cheap truglo sight and real tree brand peep and tube from walmart. I watched a couple youtube vids. I did not have a bow press. What i did have, and managed to use successfully, is a large benchtop vice, and a crankdown tow strap. Not saying its safe, or a good idea, or that you should try it. But it worked for me.  |
Rust. Its nature's locktite.
| I've been using a Bowmaster press for a couple of years now since the homemade press I had won't work with the newer parallel limb bows. It works ok but is a pain to use. I plan on getting the EZ Green press that VBC got. My buddy has the deluxe version of the EZ press, but I'm not dropping that kind of money for the few times I'll use it. |
