i received a beautiful HH Wesley Special yesterday. Ebony core black glass front and back with bamboo lams. the lines just flow so well and there was no shelf rest material which made it look all the more sleek. got me to thinking does anyone NOT use rest material on their bow? what are the actual advantages of using shelf material besides the obvious of noise control and feather wear? i shot the bow today and did not seem to be loud at all. added fabric to rest and sight window when i got home and i like it better bare. just looking for input here.
You already mentioned the noise aspect, but the arrows are going to wear that pretty wood real quick.
I suppose the finish on the bow may be a factor, but I've been shooting my ASL's without them for three years without any issues. [attachment=1]
This string was started by someone who states that he also does not cover his shelf rest or strike plate with anything: https://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=174129.msg2939845#msg2939845
I wouldn't do that, but you are not alone! I use my shelf and strike plate covering as a part of tuning the bow.
I have a Jet ASL that came without anything on the shelf. It's ok but I don't hunt with it. If I did I would probably add some shelf material to make sure it was super quiet. God bless, Scott.
great info thank you all!
I really don't think it matters either way. I have a bow that came without and have had others in the past. I was told by a bowyer years ago, it was more accurate without but I doubt it.
I don't think it's necessary as long as you have a good form and arrow spine properly to your bow.
I like a rest and side-plate on my bows, to me they are quieter, look better and are more tunable. I also like string silencers and a wrap on the grip (except on recurves). For hunting the leather/material add-ons just make sense, for target shooting it really doesn't much matter. In the end its all just personal preference but I've yet to meet anyone that prefers shooting a bow that isn't reasonably quiet. Sqeak..eek...eek...eek...kerflapple...BOING!! :biglaugh:
X2 A tag
I don't have them on two of my bows. With aluminum arrows, I can play a merry tune if I am not careful while putting an arrow on the bow or drawing. On the side, aluminum glides very quietly on the bow if not bouncing. A rough finished wood arrow can make considerable noise while drawing. I buff and wax my wood arrows to quiet the drawing noise. Of course, my bow can make twice the noise as the one pictured above.https://imgur.com/wewC0It
I have never shot my recurves without shelf material in place, even when I'm shooting from an elevated rest. I'm concerned about shaft and shelf contact making noise.
I use the loop piece of stick on velcro.
I prefer to use covering material on my bows. It just seems quieter. I do think some bows are prettier without it, though.
You can learn a lot about your form with no shelf material. I'm shooting mine that way currently.
Two4hooking, what exactly did you learn about your form that shooting your bow without a rest or side plate taught you?
Benefits to shelf material
- more quiet, especially on the draw
- less wear to the finish of the bow over time
- ability to further tune the bow/arrow/string combination
Benefit to a clean shelf
- it looks cleaner
- nothing to hold moisture or grit/sand in some cases like velcro
I've owned and shot bows done both ways and don't have a strong preference. Both of my longbows have beavertail for the shelf material to match the beavertail grips. When they wear I'll replace them with the same.
You can hear a clank and extra noise if your release isn't clean. The bow can talk to you if you listen. Sometimes hiding the sounds only inhibit your recognition of form problems. Some may not have these issues but the feedback is helpful for me to identify and correct my bad habits.
When I was in my early teens I didn't know that you were supposed to put something on there.
I shot and hunted small game for about 6-7 years without anything on the shelf until meeting other guys with newer bows.
two4hooking makes a good point that release flaws are more noticeable without shelf material. However, I already know how lousy my release is, so I will continue to use this material to help conceal the noise of my bad form. I have often felt that some of my bows would look really nice without it, though.
Hmm. Not to be argumentative but I don't see how shooting a bow without shelf or side-plate material can prove advantageous with regard to better form (an issue not directly related) or better noise control. Scuff marks that often develop on 'soft' plates and rests (but not as readily on hard/more durable bare wood), whether from from poorly-matched arrows, feather issues, etc., can actually give excellent (more visible) feedback for correcting such problems. And with regard to the 'clack' of improperly-spined shafts, that aspect will be just as detectable with or without shelf material since the cause originates from the arrow not the bow.
At least for hunting purposes I see no advantage to a bare-shelf bow except possibly for looks...which is strictly a personal (aesthetic) preference completely unrelated to performance. But, to each their own.
Not to be argumentative, but, if you have a bow that is out side of center and your wood clanks, it is more often than not, a sign of an over spined arrow. The nock end is hitting the bow as it passes. If it makes a longer sliding sound, you are risking getting a much under spited arrow shaft through your hand when the arrow breaks. On my one duo shooter I had that, 3/8" out from center, I had two options up the brace height or add point weight. I went to 190 grain Ribtecs from 160 grain Hills. The charts stated that I should have been 15 to 20 pounds lighter spine, took one test shot and the arrow cracked.
One other point, before an arrow is up to full speed and still connected to the bow string it is sliding on the bow, a noisy shaft will make a sound until it leaves the contact. No matter what the old wives tale claims, when a bow is outside of center, the arrow will bend into the bow, no matter if it is finger released or caliper mechanically released. It is simple physics, an object not in motion attempts to remain not in motion. The bend into the bow is a result of the bow string heading towards the center of the bow and the arrow attempting to remain not in motion. Try it with anything that bends. Mark it 90 degrees to a fixed object like a wall, Move the contact a couple inches over and then push it directly at the 90 degree mark. If you moved it to the left of center it will bend to the right. With some bows anything you can get to get the arrow closer to center and with minimal drag the better. With more center shot bows, I prefer something on the bow myself and sometimes I even build them out from center to match arrow spines.
Quote from: Sam McMichael on February 09, 2022, 10:21:53 AM
I prefer to use covering material on my bows. It just seems quieter. I do think some bows are prettier without it, though.
Like :thumbsup:
Without side plate material the arrow will lie ever so slightly closer to center shot. I shoot selfbows so that little extra "might" be a small advantage.
Honest Jon
Years ago the very cute girl friend of a college kid friend videoed my shooting, with a very high end camera supplied by the college, she was a media major. I saw lots of things that i was not aware of in slow motion takes. Besides how an arrow clears a bow, I also saw that the bow hand moves to the right when shooting right handed. This, however, is a variable, depending on the release and the various applied tensions. How far does a bow need to move to get out of the way of the arrow coming by? Not real far. I worked on getting this consistent and checking the video after the shot. It did help me to get a more consistent reaction and more consistent arrow flight. If you get one or two clanky shots, you could be on the edge of wrong spine or it could be you.