# DIY Bow Press for Halon 32 and Draw Board



## Mawgie33 (Jan 1, 2018)

Folks,

Newbie Mawgie33 here. Hardcore DIY and Pro Shop Independence type of guy. I am tackling my first ever bare bow DIY build, and started with a design/build of both a bow press and a draw board. (Why do it if you aren't gonna go big?!) 

My thanks to the many that have come before me. I learned a ton by reading up on other folks' designs before doing my own. 
We begin with the BOW PRESS:

- Pipe Pony Clamp base. 

- The press supports are built out of salvage maple butcher block from an old kitchen island. I glued up two big pieces of the butcher block with a thin relief piece in the middle so the cams can fit. Then I profiled the press pieces on my bandsaw with a resaw blade to exactly fit my new to me used/mint Halon 32 7. It is an excellent capture fit, holds the bow exactly by just the press ears, without touching the cams or limbs at all. 

- When I drilled out the butcher block to fit the pipe clamp base with a spade bit, the hole was a bit too big for the pipe. The press had a ton of slop, and the whole thing loaded up and canted under the pressure of the bow being pressed. No bueno. So, from Home Depot I found some 1 1/4" PVC pipe fittings that perfectly fit over the pipe, drilled a step hole into a small hunk of maple, epoxied the PVC to the hunk of maple, then screwed the hunk of maple+PVC to the base. Now, the fit is much better, and the press pieces ride really well on the pipe. The whole press smoothly and evenly opens, closes, and presses. 

- I added screws to hold the pony clamps into the press pieces. 

- I sanded the press pieces, then finished with two coats of Minwax Polycrylic (water based poly....)

- I'll probably add some felt or adhesive velcro to the press pieces to avoid any abrasion, but in a few test presses I have noticed no issues. 

PICS!


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## Mawgie33 (Jan 1, 2018)

That was a fun time with the bow press! Now let's talk draw board. 

- Harbor Freight ratchet strap winch ($25)
- 2x6x8' ($9, what????) 
- 3/4" pipe, threaded both ends, 5", could have gone shorter
- flange
- threaded cap for pipe
- cork trivet stolen from my dining room (I fit it over the pipe flange so the bow doesn't get gouged up)
-mouse pads taken without asking from my wife's office supply area (I flipped them over and taped them to the board so the bow doesn't get beat up. 100% optional.) 
-gorilla tape (will hold mouse pads in place in 100 mph winds, wrapped foam around pipe stub, then covered that in Gorilla Tape to protect bow))
- bolts, lock washers, nuts
- house paint (I chose tan, because that was what is on my house and in the paint bucket.) 

I picked out a nice board, sanded it smooth, then mounted some 3/4" plywood pieces to the bottom at each end. Then I countersunk holes into the plywood so nuts and lock washers would not be sitting proud of the bottom of the draw board.

I through bolted the flange and the ratchet winch. This needs to be very sturdy so neither bow nor DIY guy gets smashed up. (I think is was 1/4" bolts for flange, and 5/16" for ratchet winch.) My linkage set up includes weight bearing carabiners and a turnbuckle, and safety P Cord ties to protect bow from dry firing if a D Loop or another connection fails. I also sized the board long enough to allow me to add a scale down the road, if I want. 

PICS!!

https://imgur.com/h9KY26y

https://imgur.com/km36fJf


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## hdbagger23 (Feb 26, 2018)

I like your draw board


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Fjellvei (11 mo ago)

How has this design held up? Been contemplating a design I sketched out and thought through (using pipe clamp mechanism similarly). Let me know if you'd change anything from how you set this up.


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## El Mago (May 21, 2020)

Excellent!!


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## Gene1 (Jun 24, 2009)

My concern is how well attached together is the 3 pieces of wood. The limbs are pushing against both outter pieces. I would add another cross piece higher up near the opening. From this angle it looks like the screws are at the joint.


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## Gene1 (Jun 24, 2009)

Question on your ratchet strap.
On let down, how is it released?
I know on the boat winch setup you flip a lever and hold the handle and unwind it.


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## Goosegrounder (11 mo ago)

Gene1 said:


> Question on your ratchet strap.
> On let down, how is it released?
> I know on the boat winch setup you flip a lever and hold the handle and unwind it.


It looks like the same mechanism, but with a ratcheting handle


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## Chase406 (Feb 19, 2021)

Mawgie33 said:


> Folks,
> 
> Newbie Mawgie33 here. Hardcore DIY and Pro Shop Independence type of guy. I am tackling my first ever bare bow DIY build, and started with a design/build of both a bow press and a draw board. (Why do it if you aren't gonna go big?!)
> 
> ...


I like your style!


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## Jonnyjuice (Apr 14, 2013)

Draw board looks great!


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