How To Restring A Compound Bow?

Changing the string of your compound bow doesn’t have to become a chore. In fact, the process is very simple. In this article, I’m going to show you how you can change a bowstring at home without using a bow press.

Before I show you the process, you aren’t comfortable with restringing a bow, don’t try it. Let the pros handle it. However, this method will work for most compound bows and doesn’t require a lot of tools.

This whole process will take around 10 minutes. Here are the tools that you will need before you start changing a bowstring and cable.

1. Allen wrench set
2. Tape measure
3. A helping hand
4. Strings and cables

The restringing process I’m going to show is very easy. I will be changing the cables and strings on a Mathews Z7. Most of their compound bows are very similar, though.

Basically, you could do it almost all by yourself. However, it’s better to get someone to help you. Let’s start with the steps.

Restring A Compound Bow Without A Bow Press

As I’ve said before, I won’t be using a bow press because it puts a lot of pressure on the limbs of a bow. There is also a chance that the riser might get bend.

Changing The Cables

First of all, I’m going to start by changing the cables because it’s the easiest. Start by pulling the cables, and you will see a hole on the side of the bow. Put the Allen wrench in the hole, and the cable will come loose.

Now, pull the cable off. Next, take your new cable, put it inside the roller, and it will also wrap around the underside. Both of the stings will come over the top, and the cable goes underneath.

When the cable is on, pull down the cable and take the Allen wrench out. It’s important that the Allen wrench goes all the way through on both sides.

Helping Hand

Now, for the strings. Get someone to help you out for this process. First, pull the string all the way back and put an Allen wrench into the wheel. This will loosen the tension.

Now pull out the string. This is how you would put in a peep sight or potentially add a twist in your string or get your compound bow back in a correct spec because of the stretch.

Pro Tip: If you think your bow has gotten a little noisy or little vibration, check the axle to axle length.

Putting In A String

Use a good quality bowstring if you want your bow to be in tip-top shape. Now, wrap the string around on both of the wheels and into the roller. Make sure that the string is completely around the loop and around the track.

At this point, you can put it in the peep sight as well as do pretty much whatever you want. You won’t need any more assistance at this friend, so say goodbye to your helping hand.

Keep some tension on to make sure everything is completely on the track and let gravity work itself. This means the Allen wrench should come right off. At this point, the bow is pretty much restrung.

Checking The Axle To Axle

The Matthews Z7 is 30-inches axle to axle. Check the axle to axle length for the bow you are working and take a tape measure to see if it’s at the correct length. If not, you will need to adjust the length.

If it’s at the corresponding length, basically, all you need to do now is to make sure the cable is right in the middle of the bubble (the small dot on the side of the wheel).

There is a chance that the cable is up higher than the bubble. If you pull on the string now, the bubble will get further away. This means you don’t need the string any shorter.

You need the cable to be a bit shorter. When you pull the cable down, you will see that the window is getting closer. If this is your problem, the solution is quite simple.

Fixing The Cable

Take an Allen wrench and put it back in the hole via pulling the cable a little bit. Take out the cable and put a couple of twists in it. Make sure to look at the string to see which way you are tightening or loosening it.

I would always recommend you put a twist in a cable instead of taking the twist out because the bow is going to stretch a little bit later on. If it’s a 30-inch axle to axle today, it might get a 30.5-inch axle to axle tomorrow.

Give a little pull on the cable and take out the wrench just to see everything is in the right place. Now, if you don’t have enough play in there, you might need to put in a bigger or fatter wrench in there to give you some working space.

It is because you only put so many twists in the cable and quickly run out of working space. At this point, the only thing I haven’t done is check the lean on the top wheel.

If you want to get the cable to a perfect close, it is recommended that you paper tune it. Take it to a bow shop, and they will do it for you.

Checking The Wheels

Now, the compound bow is restrung. Finally, check the wheel to see if it is straight. If the wheel was leaning a little bit one way or the other, you can put some twist into one side or the other and tilt it.

Conclusion

Basically, that’s it. You have restrung a bow without using a bow press. Now, again, the process takes some experience, and if you have never done this before, don’t do it.

Once you mess it up, you will have to take it to the shop and fix the mistake. That will cost you some more money besides the cost of string. You can get an idea of the cost of restringing a compound bow from here.