Swiftwood Bows

Each bow is specifically designed and made to be pulled to a specific draw length and NEVER farther. I strongly recommend that you don’t let other people shoot your bow. Even if you think you’ve explained everything you just don’t know what they are going to do when they pull it back.

Always be sure that there is an appropriate arrow nocked on your string if you fire your bow. NEVER draw and loose your string without an arrow, this is called “dry firing” and it can permanently damage or break your bow and possibly injure you.

How you string your bow is important. The safest and recommended way is with an appropriate stringer. There are other methods that people use to string their bows without a stringer but they require practice and strength and are difficult to describe with words alone. Unless you’re familiar with them I recommend using a stringer. If you use a method other than the stringer then you do so at your own risk. Be sure to check your string carefully for nicks or frays each time before you string it.

Your bow should be unstrung immediately after you’re finished using it. It should NEVER be left strung when not in use. Your bow can handle being strung for hours on end if need be but it cannot be treated like a modern fiberglass bow and be left strung at all times. The brace height can be adjusted by twisting the string in one direction or the other depending whether you’d like the brace lower or higher. The brace height should be high enough to clear the fletching of the arrow and to avoid excess wrist slap but if it is too high then the limbs will be under unnecessary stress and the arrow speed will suffer. Each bow will have a slightly different optimal brace height. This information will be given upon receipt of the bow.

Your bow should be stored in a place where the temperature and humidity are reasonable and relatively stable. It should be out of direct sunlight and either laid flat horizontally or hung vertically by its string but it should not be propped in a corner or standing on end. This can affect the tiller of the bow over time. When you are transporting your bow be sure that it is protected from being crushed, scratched, etc. Never leave your bow in a hot car. Avoid digging the bottom tip into the ground. The dirt and rocks can damage the wood and string.