Follow these tips to preserve the craftsmanship and materials of your Sylvandell bow and to help your
bow last a lifetime.
Bending Speed
Many archers may wonder what shooting a bow has to do with bow maintenance. The answer is —
everything! How well you take care of your bow determines how long it lasts and, to some extent, how
well it shoots. Because many wood bow archers today started with “modern material” bows, the first
principle to address is bending speed. Wood has a much slower bending speed than fiberglass. Therefore,
wood bows must be broken in slowly to train the wood. Many compound-bow shooters have the habit of
quickly snapping the bowstring back to get past the pulley break-over point. When wood bows are
jerked back instead of drawn smoothly, they explode.
Anchor Time
Anchor time, or the amount of time a bow is held at full draw for sighting, is another critical factor in
proper maintenance. A wood bow is not able to withstand a long, sustained anchor time without being
damaged. Here again, many archers started with equipment that was designed for and encouraged an
extended anchor time, thus creating specific shooting habits. For your wood bow’s sake, it is crucial that
these habits are “uncreated” immediately. An 8 to 12 second anchor time is torture for a wood bow. The
longer the anchor time, the more stress on the bow and the slower the arrow speed. You can reduce
anchor time by changing your shooting habits.
Other Safe Practices
Check your string for wear, especially at the nocks. Don’t wait until the string fails before replacing it.
Be sure to check the condition of the arrow nocks themselves. A nock that lets go at full draw can break
a wood bow. Also, take the time to learn to brace your bow properly. Wood bows like shallow brace
heights. Sylvandell bows have raised handle sections, so 6½ to 7 inches may be necessary to prevent
excessive string slap on the wrist. Finally, don’t overdraw your bow. Wood bows are not “one size fits all,”
so don't allow anyone else to shoot or draw your bow. The key to maintaining a good profile and good
arrow velocity is to avoid overstressing your bow.
Based on an excerpt from “Learning to Care for Your Bow When Shooting,” Dan Perry: Primitive Archer, Volume 2, Issue 4
