String alignment issues

[Kidder]

Has anyone had any luck correcting string alignment on a bamboo backed bow after glue up (TB3) and with already narrowed tips? I somehow managed to get about 3/8-1/2 inch off center (towards the arrow side) once strung. Or is this not really that much of an issue? Thanks!

[bownarra]

It might be possible to heat correct but personally I wouldn't, not with TB3.
If the string favours your arrowside, sya a little prayer and call it good

[Pat B]

I agree with bownarra. Don't use heat to make adjustments.

[Eric Krewson]

I have a friend who makes nothing but trilams, he uses TB3 exclusively and makes heat corrections without any problems. I would be leery of the same but he says it works for him.

You could glue a test piece and see if the glue can stand a heat correction.

[gutpile]

have you put tip overlays on already.. ? might be able to add new tip overlays and cut string in hard to one side... 1/2 inch is alot.. if it doesnt unstring itself when drawn might best call it good... what type of wood.. if ipe Id say no way.. osage you got a chance..gut

[RyanY]

If it favors the arrow side it might make for a more forgiving bow with different arrow spines. Might be a blessing in disguise.

[Kidder]

So it sounds like I should probably finish tillering it out and see how it shoots. It’s at low brace right now and I could envision the problem changing (favorably or unfavorably) once tillered and at high brace. In hindsight this would have been the time to try side nocks but I’m well past that unless I want to cut it down. I’ve done a test bend without the bamboo by boiling a 1/2 think by 3/4 wide piece and it bent like butter after only 15-20 minutes and maintained a rather aggressive bend after release from a form, so it might be worth a try. I suppose if I bend it at the handle and have a glue failure issue there it might now be a problem since it’s in a non bending area?

[Eric Krewson]

I use dry heat for any tip corrections.

[Kidder]

Just an update. I figured I really had nothing to lose because it was causing twist and I couldn’t see myself even finishing it if I couldn’t correct that. So I hit the narrowest area (on the arrow shelf) with a heat gun and then clamped it in bending blocks over night. Came out with about 1/4 inch less misalignment. It’s now pretty much perfectly center shot and shoots great, minus a little kick from a less than perfect tiller. But I’ll correct that and carry on. It’s not going to be perfect but it will be a success pulled from the jaws of failure! Thanks for the input everyone.