# My Homemade Bow Press



## etcher1 (Dec 10, 2011)

Here my bow press after checking out others on the internet. It works well with crossbows also.
It was sitting on the board while the paint finishes drying.





































The bow on the press is a Bear Polar II. I had bought it for parts for the other one I have, but it is not as bad as it looks.
May end up fixing it also.
Thanks for looking.


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## HOYTINIT (Aug 28, 2012)

i would turn the left eye bolt 180


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## Dan Belman (Mar 21, 2007)

Nice work


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## harleynut (Jan 20, 2013)

nice work! not critisizing just curious, but arn't you guys using the bottle jacks woried about them bleeding off? ive had a few 20ton jacks blow seals on me before when working under cars and it wasnt fun. looking at all the awsome homemade presses to get ideas to build my own full press when money frees up so i like seeing everyones great fab work.


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## Spikealot (May 27, 2009)

I have a press very similar to the one pictured above that I built about 20yrs ago. It still has the original cheap 2 ton jack on it and has never bled off or leaked.
I've never even changed the fluid in it...
Still use it on older style bows but I recently built an in-line style press for the newer bows.


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## slowen (Jun 27, 2006)

Nice!


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## etcher1 (Dec 10, 2011)

harleynut said:


> nice work! not critisizing just curious, but arn't you guys using the bottle jacks woried about them bleeding off? ive had a few 20ton jacks blow seals on me before when working under cars and it wasnt fun. looking at all the awsome homemade presses to get ideas to build my own full press when money frees up so i like seeing everyones great fab work.


I have not had any problem with bottle jacks, unless I overloaded them. This has a brand new 4 ton from Harbor Freight, seem to hold fine. I hope to build a linear press eventually.


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## oldschoolcj5 (Jun 8, 2009)

nice press


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## Gunner7800 (Jul 11, 2007)

Nice press, but I think I would put my money in an updated bow before updating my press lol:wink:


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## Spikealot (May 27, 2009)

Gunner7800 said:


> Nice press, but I think I would put my money in an updated bow before updating my press lol:wink:


yeah man.!


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## Gordon m (Sep 2, 2010)

too funny I built one somthing like that 20 years ago ,, wont work with newer bows


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## rand_98201 (Sep 24, 2008)

cool press


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## postman99 (May 9, 2008)

that looks great have been going to build a similar press for a while now and i think your design is the one i like best. I have been throwing around another idea as well. what if where the top peg is [the one that compresses the limbs] was replaced by a set of wheels like the Sure-loc ex press do you think that would work for the beyond parllel bows? thats what i has been holding me back about this style of press as not being able to press newer bows


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## ruttnwapati (Sep 22, 2008)

Nice build. And it will do a compound and a crossbow Good for you man.


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## etcher1 (Dec 10, 2011)

postman99 said:


> that looks great have been going to build a similar press for a while now and i think your design is the one i like best. I have been throwing around another idea as well. what if where the top peg is [the one that compresses the limbs] was replaced by a set of wheels like the Sure-loc ex press do you think that would work for the beyond parllel bows? thats what i has been holding me back about this style of press as not being able to press newer bows


I don't know if it would work on newer bows with parallel limbs. As you can see I am stuck back in the good old days, my crossbows are recurves and old style compounds.


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## kc hay seed (Jul 12, 2007)

i have a press like yours and for the newer bows i bought a set of lazer cut u-PINS from a member on here and it works like an in line press on the bows i have anyway.i am in the process of building a in line press but need someone to weld the arms on it.i have been thinking about taking it to the vo-tech school and asking if they would weld it for me.anyway for now the U-PINS work just fine.


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## Built4CubanLynx (Jul 30, 2009)

Looks great wish I could weld..


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## etcher1 (Dec 10, 2011)

Here's some dimensions if anybody wants them. This is my first go around with google sketchup, hope it looks alright.


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## lc12 (Jul 30, 2009)

My only suggestion would be to drill a few more holes in your yellow stand so that you could move your bars, by the riser, in and out to accept a wider assortment of bows.
You are kind of limited to that one riser length at the moment, unless I am missing something.
Why not use the next size larger Perf-steel for the frame which would give you all the adjustments you would need?!


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## etcher1 (Dec 10, 2011)

lc12 said:


> My only suggestion would be to drill a few more holes in your yellow stand so that you could move your bars, by the riser, in and out to accept a wider assortment of bows.
> You are kind of limited to that one riser length at the moment, unless I am missing something.
> Why not use the next size larger Perf-steel for the frame which would give you all the adjustments you would need?!


All the materials were out of a dumpster, had to use what I could find. I just drilled holes for the bow I had, I can always drill more as needed.


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## Fernando (Jun 18, 2007)

good Idea!!


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## lc12 (Jul 30, 2009)

etcher1 said:


> All the materials were out of a dumpster, had to use what I could find. I just drilled holes for the bow I had, I can always drill more as needed.


I wish I could have found my materials in a dumpster!
You did good with that find for sure.


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## 13third (Oct 5, 2009)

if ya like this design I am sure you can do what apple did on their econmy press.....that is the press I have and really like


http://applearchery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55&Itemid=91


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## Godfather3696 (Feb 11, 2013)

Nice. Thanks, have all my stuff in boxes waiting to be built.


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## etcher1 (Dec 10, 2011)

13third said:


> if ya like this design I am sure you can do what apple did on their econmy press.....that is the press I have and really like
> 
> 
> http://applearchery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55&Itemid=91


Thanks for the link, got me thinking again.


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## HOYTINIT (Aug 28, 2012)

if a 4 ton jack can't hold 50 lbs it has issues..lol


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## youngnick (Sep 19, 2012)

HOYTINIT said:


> i would turn the left eye bolt 180


x2 or weld it shut


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## badguybuster (May 15, 2012)

Well done. Pretty nifty


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