The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

Guys, I thought I'd pass along some really fantastic news for those in the market for a bow press... Many of us old-timers have a press manufactured by Walks With A Gimp called the Bowmender; it was and is a fantastic press, and actually places less stress on the limbs to press a bow than the act of actually drawing the bow.

Unfortunately, Russ (WWAG) hasn't had much time nor inclination over the last few years to make these available to the public. I get asked about my press frequently when people see it. Until now, I've had to tell them they're basically out of luck in trying to find their own. It's extremely rare that anyone sells theirs after using one...

Enter a friend of mine, Dave Stephens, who has obtained permission to start making and selling them again!! He's calling his version the Limbbender, but in essence it's the exact same design. Bowtech Dave, or Limb Bender -- depending on which forum you know him from -- is selling these for $75 apiece (a steal!) and takes Paypal and money orders.

He doesn't even know I'm making this post; I just believe in the product after using it for several years. In fact, it's the only press I own and everyone knows how much I do to my own bows after all the instructional threads I've written.

Here's some more information from Dave from awebsite where Idiscovered he was selling these:

Well, after lots of correspondance with Walks with a Gimp (Russ), he has graciously allowed me to continue making the bow pressformally known as the Bowmender. I have only made a couple little design changes, mainly due to not having all the equipment neccessary to make the exact duplicate. No matter in my eyes, as I feel this press will be even more compact due to all the pieces laying flat for storage. I have seen this press do virtually every bow out there with the exception of the Guardian, but you don't need a press for it anyhow.

I have a couple different leg length presses just to experiment. Both have their benefits. If you would like either one of them let me know. I will ship either one to your door for $75 shipped to anywhere in the lower 48. If you are overseas and would like to purchase one please let me know the postal address and I will get the shipping for you. I do except PayPal or Money order.

This press has gotten a lot of rave reviews on many forums. Do a search for Bowmender and you can see what all the fuss is. This thing can be used to break a bowdown completely or just for replacing strings and cables. I have other presses, but I still use this one for over 90% of my bowmaintenance. I take it with me when I go hunting and do not hesitate pulling it out when I need it.

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

Greg~~ Pictures?? What kinda press we talking here? Ratchet straps?

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

That space you see up above is where the pics didn't load properly... I'll try again, or hopefully -- and even better -- Dave will be along to post some.

In the mean time, here's a pic of mine sitting on my workbench, to the right of my arrow cut-off saw; you can see how compact it is when in storage:

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

Thats just great.[:@] I just bought the Gritty press for $165.00. Its a bench style and not very portable nor is it a space saver but still a great press. Anywho, I gotta have one ofthese too. Thanks for the heads up Greg. Will be ordering.

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

Thanks Greg;I appreciate the post.

I am asking $75 shipped anywhere in the lower 48. I will deal with others as they arrive. My presses are a tad different than Walks', but perform the same. Here is a photo of one I have over at AT. If anyone is interested please email me at [email protected].

Pleaseunderstand thatI only have about a couple ready to go at this time, as I am waiting on orders to put them together to ship. The turnaround time is pretty fast and will get faster as I get my process down.

Again thanks for the post and here is a picture. The one pictured has longer legs than the ones I am making now. I was trying something a little different. ;)

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

My good buddy, bloodcreek, made us a couple very similar to these a couple of years ago and they work great and are easy to use. I don't use mine right not because I have a Guardian, but I am sure I will someday use it again.

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

Thanks for the heads up Greg. Just sent Dave an email to obtain one.

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

Rick,

Just sent you an email back with the info. Thanks for inquiring.

Dave

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

Here's a link to a vivieo dave supplied me. Mine will be here this week.

http://media.putfile.com/Bow-Press-How-To

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

That is good news. I love my Bowmender.

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

will this press work for traditional and parallel limb designs?

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

Absolutely. It's ESPECIALLY great on the parallel designs; that's why just about every Bowtech staffer I know has one. :)

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

What is the wait on one of these presses?

Shane

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

I'm thinking it must be a long wait. I e-mailed him last week on payment details and have not received a response yet. Must be pretty busy . . . . .

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

I think he's on a hunting trip right now... Just happened to see this thread brought back up to the top and remembered him saying something about that last week, so I figured I'd let you know that Roscoe.

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

I'm new to archery and have already grown tired of having to be dependent upon my shop...so I think having a press would be great. Certainly one couldn't argue the price of this unit. But for those that use one I'm wondering how tough it is to get fingers in around the cams? It looks like that could be a little tough and that some contorsionniste skills would behelpful with this unit. Can anyone comment? Maybe I'm all wrong. This isn't a bash at all...100% sincere question as I could be very happy with the price of this unit -Thanks - Randy

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

It a wee bit tight when trying to route a string around a cam if you're replacing one, or needing to put a twist into it for peep alignment or something of that nature... but, as you mentioned -- for the price, convenience, and portability (I carried mine along to Colorado on my elk trip), I think it's well worth the minor inconvenience.

Plus, I've found that 99% of the time I use it, it's just so that I can relax the strings to install a peep or insert some serving material before re-serving.

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

I had a reply from him waiting in my inbox today. Hope to get one shipped after he gets back from the hunting trip.

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

Mine came today;) but can't get time to look at it yet:(.

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

Here's a picture of a Switchback in one from last fall. The Switchback needed some work, notice the Trykon and Allegiance that didn't need any work.;)[8D]

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

Greg, I had the Switchback of a friend of mine and I removed his string, reserved it in my string jig and reinstalled it with no problems. You just need to know your doing that ahead of time and position the press accordingly to remove the string, cables or whatnot.

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

Well, my hunt is coming to end this weekend. I'll be back from my trip by Monday. I have several presses that I am working on finishing. Some need holes still drilled, while others are in the paint and finish stage. I figure that the lead time would be about a week right now. I hope to get more completed and ready as time permits.

I want to thank everyone who has shown interest in this so far and I am sorry for the delayed response. I did manage to take a nice Missouri doe early in my hunt, but so far the bucks have eluded me.

For those of you that are still interested in a press please email me at [email protected] and I promise to return your calls and/or emails.

Greg, thanks for helping answer questions while I am away. I hope your season goes well!

Dave

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

Whats the price on one of these??

Mat

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

I payed $75.

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

That's right, $75 shipped in the lwr 48. Shoot me an email or PM if intersted. [email protected] I would be happy to anwer any questions you have.

Dave

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

I got mine a couple of weeks ago and it is turning out to be a very useful tool to have around the shop. I was able to remove my strings and cables to take some measurements - no problems. Helped a buddy of mine install a string peep. The only thing I changed on the press was to find some industrial hydraulic hose that just a little bit larger (I.D.) than was provided. The bolts have to be slid through this piece of rubber hose each time the press is mounted and removed from the bow, and they fit the bolt pretty tight.

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

Roskoe,glad you are using the press. I have to agree with you. I would love to find a slightly larger ID hose, but haven't found any yet. It is weird, some of my presses with the same bolts and hose are not tight at all. I guess it may be the batch of bolts/hose I get. Sorry for the snug fit. I am still looking.

Dave

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

5/8" ID works great. I think it could even be 3/4" without any ill effects.

RE: The Bowmender press lives again!!
 

I thought about the 5/8" and almost used it, but I felt the press got a little sloppy from side to side when used. Maybe I need to find the right one. I am always looking for a way to build a better mouse trap. Let me know if youfind something better. Thanks, Dave