# Another Way to EASILY Set Second & Third Axis (With Pics)



## Mike Trump (Sep 3, 2004)

This may not work for every bow, but it sure worked like a charm with my Hoyt UltraTec. Basically, the only thing you need is a 2' Level and two heavy duty zip ties.

All you have to do is lay your bow on its side and rest level across your limb pockets. Use zip ties to secure level to side of pockets... Make sure the level's horizontal glass is toward the top of the bow.


















Then, hold bow as you normally would. Set second axis so that sight's bubble is in the middle when level's bubble is in the middle.










Then draw your bow and plumb it back up. Notice where sight bubble is when level's bubble is dead center while you're at full draw. Let bow down, and make an adjustment, then re-draw and check your bubbles again. Keep doing this until both bubbles always stay in the middle regardless of how far up or down you have your bow pointed.










I have just successfully leveled and plumbed my new Sword with zero issues in a matter of only about 5 minutes. If you're worried about how bow riser torque may affect the level, I tested this against the standard "weighted string" technique with identical results. Plus, since the level is attached to the bow, you don't have the same issues trying to match the riser to the string when pointing up or down like I found when using the prior technique.

Hope this helps!!


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## ftshooter (Jul 26, 2003)

Thank you , very much ..I have been trying to figure out an easy way to do that ..


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## Midlife Crisis (Mar 24, 2004)

Mike - thanks - this looks like an excellent method. I'm just gonna have to practice a lot before taking my bow into the woods with that level attached to it. It's bound to throw off the balance from what I'm used to shooting....:wink:


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## thwackaddict (Sep 1, 2006)

*great idea*

I am a newby so could you do a simple explanation of 1st 2nd and 3rd axis?

What if you don't have levels?


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## Mike Trump (Sep 3, 2004)

This post explains it better than I ever could...

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=334316


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## nuts&bolts (Mar 25, 2005)

thwackaddict said:


> I am a newby so could you do a simple explanation of 1st 2nd and 3rd axis?
> 
> What if you don't have levels?


When you say "what if you don't have a level",
do you mean that the sight ring has no level?

You can buy an add on sight level,
and try to figure a way to attach the level
to your pin guard.

Some pin sights do not have the 3rd axis "door hinge" adjustment.

That's essentially what a 3rd axis adjustment is 
on a sight. It's basically a door hinge, 
so you can swing the pin guard closer to you or farther away from you,
just like swinging open a door.

You want the "door swing" on the pin guard to be at 90 degrees to the path of the arrow flight. If the "door swing" adjustment is not 90 degrees,
as in the pin guard was bumped, and is bent 10-degrees away from you
or is bent say 10-degrees towards you,
then the sight bubble level will lie to you.

You can try this experiment at home
with a 24-inch carpenter's level or any size for that matter.

If you hold your right arm horizontal, parallel to the ground,
and have the level in your right hand, set at 90 degrees to you arm,
the bubble level reads level.

Let's say you adjust the "door swing" of the level,
and make the level at 45-degrees to you arm,
you swing the left end of the level towards you.

The level is still parallel to the ground.
The bubble level still reads in the middle.

Now, raise your hand straight up 2-feet up.

Now, look at the bubble.
It's no longer in the middle.

You have to tilt your hand to get the bubble back in the middle.

If you swing the left end of the carpenter's level
so that it's back to 90 degrees to you arm,
then the bubble will return to the middle.

If you were shooting an arrow from a tree stand,
and you were aiming downhill,
and your sight had a bubble level,
then the bubble level would like to you
and force you to TILT your bow to get the bubble
in the middle.

Depending on which way you tilt your bow
to get the bubble back to the middle,
then you would miss left or right.

That's 3rd axis. "Door swing".



2nd axis is adjusting the sight
bubble level to read level when you are holding the bow straight up and down.



1rst axis is a little harder to understand.










That is a picture of the bow and target sight of OldPro.

He installed a shim under the sight mount to rotate the entire sight mount,
and hence the sight arm and frame are also rotated. That is an example of adjusting the "1rst axis" so that OldPro can shoot with his natural arm/wrist angle.


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## Papick (Jul 13, 2004)

nuts&bolts said:


> 1rst axis is a little harder to understand.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Then in a sense 2nd and 1st axis is on the same axis ???


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## nuts&bolts (Mar 25, 2005)

Papick said:


> Then in a sense 2nd and 1st axis is on the same axis ???



2nd axis means that when the sight frame is perfectly vertical
(the up down metal part of the sight)
then the threaded rod for the scope is at 90 degrees to the sight frame.

When you adjust the 1rst axis of the sight,
you are putting a tremendous amount of washers underneath just the bottom screw of the two screws that attach the sight mount to the riser of your bow.

The top screw of the sight mount has no extra washers,
so to adjust the 1rst axis, you are rotating the entire sight....the sight mount, the sight extension bar, and the sight frame.

If you look closely,
you can see that the threaded scope rod is perfectly at 90 degrees to the sight frame.


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## chase (Sep 25, 2002)

Great idea Mike.


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