# Flemish twist string jig board



## Green River (May 13, 2006)

I want to learn to make flemish twist strings and am looking for some plans for the string board. Anyone have a good link?


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## Two Blade (Jul 13, 2008)

http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000017


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## Green River (May 13, 2006)

PERFECT!

Thanks Two Blade!


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## FORESTGUMP (May 14, 2008)

poorfolkbows.com

good detailed instruction from start to finish,all in one place.


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## Mrfipp (Apr 9, 2010)

You can twist a flemish string without having a jig (really the jig is juat a fancy way of measuring your sting). All you need is string, wax, and the bow(or it's measurements, string, wax, and a tape measure)

It is helpful to have a solid anchor point to hold your nock loop for you while splicing it.


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## Barry O'Regan (Nov 2, 2008)

Thanks Two Blade!


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## LBR (Jan 1, 2004)

Functional, but can be improved. Drill length holes every 1/2" so you can be more precise with your string length. Be sure it's marked for string length, not bow length. Give yourself a little more room on the end with the 20 finishing nails to put in a 20d nail to hold the spool while working.

The instructions on the poor folk bows site leaves out back twist--essential for making a good string.


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## SamHarper (Aug 8, 2013)

LBR said:


> The instructions on the poor folk bows site leaves out back twist--essential for making a good string.


No it doesn't. It explains that on page two about half way down.


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## LBR (Jan 1, 2004)

My bad--it is mentioned...kinda'. Not nearly enough detail, and it won't help keep the string together. The string will stay together with no backtwist.



> When you do the other loop, the same thing is going to happen, so it isn't enough to merely get all the counter-twist out. You have to add extra twist to it. Doing so will help the string stay together in the end.


That's what is said about back-twist.

I'm not slamming the guy--it's a great effort, and better instructions that I've seen in most places--for free at least, and better than some you'd pay for.

This is, IMO, a case of you get what you pay for. You can make a board and a string that will work, but a lot of detail is missing that would help you make a better board and a better string and help you avoid a lot of hassle and frustration; and take a lot of time off the learning curve.


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## Raider2000 (Oct 21, 2003)

LBR said:


> My bad--it is mentioned...kinda'. Not nearly enough detail, and it won't help keep the string together. The string will stay together with no backtwist.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


When I started back to making my own strings I had to learn the hard way about back twist because after about 15 years of not making one I kinda forgot about that step. LOL


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## LBR (Jan 1, 2004)

> ...I had to learn the hard way...


That was me. I made a lot of strings for a long time before I learned. They held together, but looked awful and were noisier than they should have been. A little information can go a long way.


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## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

LBR said:


> That was me. I made a lot of strings for a long time before I learned. They held together, but looked awful and were noisier than they should have been. A little information can go a long way.


Me too. Until I saw it mentioned on Chad's website, I thought I might have invented the back twist, but I called it counter twisting. I made a few strings without it, and thought, "Wow, this sucks."

If I had learned about it before, would have saved a few strings from the garbage pile. When you start the splice of the second loop, you will notice that you are twisting the bundles a direction, and they can't untwist at the other end, because that loop has been spliced. So, you need to 'untwist' the other direction _before_ you begin the splice, so that when you finish the second splice, the bundles are relatively untwisted, and can blend together to make a smooth, round, single string. How much untwisting, or back twisting, depends on the person twisting, the bundle size, and the number of bundles. For me, it tends to work out to 35-37 back twists for a 2 bundle string, and about 45-48 back twists (yes, I actually count rotations, because I'm silly) for a 3 bundle string. Once the splices are made on both ends, I put a little tension on each side of each bundle and try to untwist it as evenly as possible down the string, to get it as straight as necessary. Then I get some bamboo skewers, and dissect the string into quarters in the middle, how I want my colors to lay, and push that orientation up and down the string, which will remove/add any additional twist (usually within the range of 1 rotation) within the bundles. If it is not symmetrical between top and bottom, I do an appropriate rotation, and check again. Then I push it back to the bottom, and twist it up under mild tension as I move the skewers up, which gives me a consistent color sequence (don't have colors disappearing, assuming constant colors in the strands). The part with the bamboo skewers isn't necessary for a round string, because good enough truly is, but it's something I prefer.

Chad's DVD shows the back twist. His method is more efficient, and with practice, I would think just as reliable. He rolls the bundles in his hand a set number of times, getting multiple twists as he does it. Much faster. But I'm kind of stuck in my ways 

The other thing I would suggest, particularly with Flemish Strings, is doing a good pre-stretch, probably with some kind of stretcher. I get about 2" of stretch from simply hanging on a new string (about 180 lbs) and getting the fibers to settle into the wax (and push it out too). At that point, it will be close to a settled length, but it's not nearly done. I put it on my stretcher, get it pretty taut, and then lean on it. If it is looser, I tighten it up again, and lean on it some more. When it stops changing, I just leave it there for awhile. 

You can simply shoot it in, if you like, but if the string is going to end up where you want it, it will likely start beyond the bow's recommended brace height, and if it doesn't, you'll likely be doing a decent amount of twisting to keep it there. Chad's DVD shows this, but also interesting, is that he tells us to let a Dacron string relax for awhile after the pre-stretch before serving it, as it will retract over time when it isn't under such heavy tension.

Chad's DVD also has some other useful information as well, with Rod Jenkins also going over endless loop construction as well. I liked it, so I'm giving it a plug. I don't think you need to buy his DVD to make a good string, but I think it points some things out very well, and has some other entertaining moments as well.


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## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

One more thing.

I like my jig which was based on the Jig I bought from 3 rivers, collection of 20 small nails at the cutting end, and peg holes every 1/2". However, I did away with the nails on the other end, and just made the jig longer. Less maneuvering to do.


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## Lightning (Jul 13, 2009)

*Short Short*



BarneySlayer said:


> One more thing.
> 
> I like my jig which was based on the Jig I bought from 3 rivers, collection of 20 small nails at the cutting end, and peg holes every 1/2". However, I did away with the nails on the other end, and just made the jig longer. Less maneuvering to do.


Is the moveable peg for the AMO LENGTH ? My strings keep coming up 2-3" short..


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## TRUE HUNT (Nov 8, 2006)

Great info


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## dhaverstick (Jul 26, 2006)

Two Blade, I don't mean to be a horse's backside but I cannot get the numbers on the plans of that string jig to add up. Here is a marked up copy for explanation purposes. Measuring from the center of the board on the right side, down to the nail in the lower left corner and then up to the first peg marked 48", I get a distance of 30.886" (.75" + 28" + 2.136"). Multiplying that by 2 to give me the total strand length at that peg equals 61.772". Where does the 48" come in? Is that a finished string length number? If so, that gives me a little less than 7" for each loop. That's kind of short to my way of thinking.

I'm sure I am overlooking something. Please explain it to me.

Darren


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## Halfcawkt (Dec 27, 2015)

Only been twisting strings since the new year. Made my jig on 2x4 using push pins( like for a cork board) and a golf tee for the adjustment peg. The hardest part for me has been getting the finished string to come out at the target size the first time. If you miss, just untwist a loop and adjust accordingly. It's not hard, and the string will be fine if you just rewax before twisting back up. Super simple process, but it may take a few tries at first to hit target length. Good luck, it really is a ton of fun.


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