1st attempt at center serving.
 

Since I started shooting a bow 3 years ago I have tried to learn more and more about working on bows. I hope to one day be able to do all my own work on all of my bowhunting equipment. I have purchased a bow press, chopsaw for arrows, Bitz jig, etc. The list goes on.
I have gotten more and more confidant in my abilities as time goes by. Saturday while shooting I noticed my string loop looking a little frayed so I decided to change it. When I got it off I noticed that my center serving was starting to unravel. (This was mostly do to me nicking it while cutting off the loop [:@]) So I thought, crap now I have to go to the shop. Then I realised I had purchased a serving tool and thread so I got to it. For a first attempt it turned out well. I knew how to start the thing by paying attention to how the old one came off. I wasn't sure of how to finish tying it off. A few 1/2 hitches one way and then the other took care of it. I then tied on a new loop, realised I didn't measure where the old one was and went outside to hit about a foot high. A bit of an adjustment to the loop and then a tightening of the nock and I'm good to go.
It is a good feeling of accomplishment to be able to do this kind of thing. I don't have to rely on anyone else. I like that.

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

Nice job!! I am not at that point yet. There are some things that I shouldn't touch. [&:]

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

The way I finish off all my servings is the same way I start them . Run the tag end under about a half inch of the serving and then pull tight. No half hitches needed in a bowstring at all except for nock sets.

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

Yep, congrats on gettin' er done... but you don't need any half-hitches in a center serving.

I would recommend buying Bohning's serving kit with the instructional dvd... I started to say you'll need everything included anyway, but it sounds like you've got a serving tool already. It is nice to see a center serving done properly on video though, where you can pause and rewind as much as you need to.

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

The Bohning serving kit is awesome. I center served mine a few weeks ago and it turned out awesome.

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

Myself, I would worry about the 1/2 hitches. There is a proper way to finish one off, and you should never worry about it coming unraveled. But the 1/2hitches it might.

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

OK, that makes sense. Thanks for posting that pic. I'll do it again tonight. I'll look at Saturdays attempt as practice. I would much rather do it right if I'm going to do it.

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

Ok, just remember, all your doing is handwinding to unwind the serving over the string about 10-15 loops.

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

10-4, I'll let you know how it works out. I appreciate the tip!

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

Greg.

The pic BC put in whas what I was trying to describe to you this morning[8D]:)

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

Thanks Bigcountry that is how I was trying to explain how I do mine but your pics made it a lot easier. I usually go 20 to 25 wraps when Ido mine. Might be overkill but I just like at least a 1/2 inch of wraps over the tag end.

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT5dmmTbeo0

I finish mine the same way the guy in the video does his.

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

Yep, that's exactly what the pic up above demonstrates, too...

It was interesting to see him flip the serving tool around and around the string that fast. I'd wonder if he could get good tension on his serving doing that? I mean... he certainly looks like he knows what he's doing, but I know when I serve mine, I like to feel a certain tension on it.

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

Thanks JeramyK. That video really makes it clear.

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

I just got done re-doing the serving. Much better results! Thanks ya'll!

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

Two things on the Youtube wont work very well for compounds. One He has very little tension on the bow string otherwise he would be able to get it to flip around like that. Also since it is a recurve , traditional bow he isnt going to have to worry about a peep so there are probably a minimal amount of twists in the string. You put a string under 2 -300 lbs of tension while you are serving it and you wont be able to move the string to flip it around like that , guaranteed.

RE: 1st attempt at center serving.
 

It looks easier to do it the way shown on that picture than the way I do it. The first time i did mine I didn't do 1 end right and the whole center serving slid up my string over about 5 sessions of shooting. Like a moron,I just kept moving my peep higher and higher and adjusting my sight until one day I noticed it was loose and started measuring things.[&:]

The second timeI used that knot and it's not going anywhere. however, i didn'treverse the loop like shown. i just kept tension on the one end and created a few loops around the string and pulled the tab through wit ha pair of pliers.