finding string length

[fish30523]

My son is eight he said daddy I want a recurve well I come across a bow for him it doesn't say what length or pounds or sring length Is it true to measure tip to tip and subtract 2inches

 

[Son]

String length

Rule of thumb. Fistmile should average 7 to 8 inches. That's the distance from the face of the bow to the string at nocking point. A string a little long can be taken up by twisting. The more twist, the shorter the string gets.

 

[Al33]

Try 4" shorter than the bow and you will likely be very close.

 

[OconeeDan]

It's hard when the bow is not marked. You can use a nylon cord and tie a loop in each end and experiment until it looks right. Then remove it, measure it, and write it down. Then put a real string on it, tweak it until it shoots best.
I assume this is a smaller youth bow?

 

[Slingblade]

Measuring tip to tip along the bow and subtract 4 will get you in the ballpark.

 

[fish30523]

thanks guys that helps me out will try to do that this evening

 

[ccbunn]

When measuring, be sure to lay the tape flat against the belly of the bow the entire length from tip to tip. On recurve bows subtract 4", on longbows subtract 3". This will get you in the ballpark.

 

[PAPALAPIN]

What everyone said above is pretty much right. Another way is to measure from tip to tip on the unstrung bow from the front side instread of the back, and then subtract one inch.

You are better off getting the string a tad too long rather than too short. If it is a bit too long, you can always twist it to shorten to the right length. This is how a bow is fine tuned. If the string comes out too short, there is not much you can do but get another string or shot it with a high brace height.

All this stuff is half the fun with fooling around with traditionl archery. Experiment.