How many file down bow shelf, like Fred Bear?

Fred didn's "file down" his bow shelf typically, he effectively filed it off.

I don't anybody that does that at all. I do on occassion narrow the width of the shelf as some of them are just a whole lot wider than that bneed to be.

I've filed the strike plate to make the bow more center shot. I've never filed the shelf.

Bowmania

Why would you do that?

bowdoc did this one for me.

And how much did that help your shooting?

I have filed a radius into a few to get the high point of the shelf above the pivot point of the grip. At the same time I dropped the height of the shelf. I like the arrow close to my hand.

I've done it to a sage riser to narrow it and drop the arrow closer to my hand. the bow aimed well before and I feel I shot it even better after doing so.

It's mostly for aesthetic purposes, but some guys like the arrow close to their hand. It really makes no difference in shooting quality from my experience nor the ability to shoot "instinctive".

About Fred Bear's equipment.

I don't alter shelves accept to add Match sticks to the ones that have no radius cut either on the shelf or strike plate on vintage bows. I shoot most of my recurves with a stick on rest, and never worry about the arrow being close to my hand. When I make self bows I cut a radius both on shelf,and the strike plate area, and also cut the rest as deep as I can. Makes for easier tuning.

Fred Asbell is a firm believer in having the shelf down low so the arrow is on the same plane as his bow hand.Says it helps alot with his instinctive shooting style.

Filed the rest on my bear custom kodiak. I thought my friend was going to have a heart attack when he saw me doing it. I like the arrow right over the hand and I do think I shoot it better now.

I rounded off the shelf on DH Hunter 1966/67 that was flat.

Unless you can do the work without it being noticeably visible when you're done, you about cut the resale in half by taking a file to a bow's riser.

I'v e built a few bows over the years, and I've occasionally slightly modified the shelves or strike plates of bows built by others, but unless you saw those bows before, you wouldn't know they were modified. Unless you're fairly sure you can improve the looks and functionality, I'd recommend against it. Better to sell the bow and buy one more to your liking.

I've shot flying birds and running rabbits with a bow that had the shelf an inch and a half above my grip/pivot. So the need for an arrow close to the hand is just a personal choice and not so closely related to being able to shoot "instinctively". I'm a G. Fred fan but we will disagree on that one. The eye/mind/body adapts to anything you do if you do it with good form. Lots of guys like the arrow closer to the hand and that's a good thing because it gives you that mental confidence.

I like the shelf right at my knuckle, picked up a Necedah recently and the shelf looked huge compared to what I'm used to. thought about trimming it down but instead put a feather rest on it which made it even higher, but after 3-4 shots it was fine. Glad I didn't trim it down.

I narrowed and radiused the shelf on an old Pearson Cougar just to see if it shot better than off the flat shelf. I didn't want to use an elevated rest. Worked great and my buddy loved the fat grip so I gifted it to him. He's still shooting it after 10 years.

Files and rasps are the cautious way to lower a shelf. I used a Japanese saw and cut a good half inch of shelf off. Bear Super Kodiak from early 2000’s. Then I used a belt sander to reshape the grip. I wondered at the time if the person working on the bow was in a hurry and just did enough to make bow look right. I have two other Bears and the grips were not that fat. To finish I used progressive diner grits of wet/dry sandpaper and Tru-Oil to get a “baby butt” smooth finish.

I have lowered and radiused the shelf on numerous bows.

I have radiused an/or cut down many shelves on bows. I like the looks of the radius and I shoot better with a low radiused shelf. As above, Asbell, in his first "instinctive Shooting" book does a great job of illustrating and explaining what this does for you. I don't believe either modifications are a big advantage and they certainly wont make you instantly shoot like Howard Hill, but when you shoot like I do every little bit helps. I didn't cut this one down, it was already like this when I got it. It also doesn't appear to have much if any radius, but this is the bow I own that I shoot the best. This one is pretty low like Fred Bear's, but I don't shoot the arrow off my knuckle. I would like to take down the shelf on the bow stagetek just sold me....but I cant quite bring myself to do it.....yet......

Asbell, Bear and Wolfie Hughs are three that come to mind that say a shelf low and narrow are an asset to accuracy. I find it so for myself so I guess I'll go that way also.

I have taken some off the outer edge if I felt it was a bit high. Only if severe wear on outer edge of rest material. Has worked great when I have had to do it.

Man Old Buck they are magnificent you're darn talented to say the least.

Wow long live Bow Doc's memories and how we forget fast.

I never filed on any bows and do not believe it's necessary and it bastarizes a bow the way it was made. I felt all I needed to do was learn how to shoot without alterations.

Maybe if I did I could have shot a little better? LOL

Reducing the width of the shelf is in some cases a needed improvement. No matter how well tuned your arrows and set up are if the shelf is too wide, depending on your release, feather height and alignment you could have the hen feather bounce off the outside edge of the shelf. Shooting cock feather in, in these cases may resolve the issue, but shelves only really need to be so wide and some bows just have too much of an outside platform for good clearance. Wolfie Hughes covers this in one of his YouTube videos and he is spot on.

It's best, if ordering a new bow to have the shelf cut with a radius.Bear did this on a custom T/D that I ordered looks and shoots great!

Fred Bear had them cut his shelf off. He learned to shoot with sefbows that had no shelf so he shot off his knuckle. He later had his shelf cut off so he c ok old continue shooting off his knuckle.

Read the above letter written by Bear. He cut the rest down. No mention of him cutting the shelf of the bow down.

I have a 1959 Grizz that has the shelf cut down as per Fred directed the owner. It is exactly like Fred had his bow.

CHRIS

I agree with you George. I would say a bowbuilder knows where his shelf should be

I agree with you George. I would say a bowbuilder knows where his shelf should be

I narrow, lower, and radius my shelves. Never been accused of being a butcher but it does take patience. If Fred thought modifying, improved his bows, I'm curious why he kept producing the wide flat shelves. >>>>-----> Ken

Ken, Fred told me n my wife he did that because he had to shoot off his hand when he learned to shoot since self bows didn't have a shelf in those days. It only came up because I ask him when he was showing us his bow. Talk about thick side plates, wow.

I have "rasped" down/on/around just about every bow I've ever had. I likely didn't "need" to, but since it was my bow and I felt like it I did it. Having been a wood craftsman for decades, None look the worse for wear. I would advise not making it your first woodworking project.

I've done quite few over the years both flat shelfs and some that are sloped away from the sight window. Any more I use a Dremel tool and double layer duct tape around the surrounding area.

I have lowered the shelf on several of my bows to put the arrow closer to my hand and it works for me

MOST OF THE OLD HERTERS RECURVES HAD A SLOPED SHELF THAT YOUR ARROW WOULDN'T STAY ON WITHOUT A BRUSH REST OF SOME KIND WHICH WORKED FINE BUT I DID FILE A FLAT REST ON ONE SO I COULD SHOOT OFF THE SHELF. DON'T KNOW WHAT THEIR REASONING WAS BUT THEY WERE AND ARE GREAT SHOOTING BOWS.

Copy that on the Herters shelf as my Sambar had the slope but have you seen the "Pyramid shelf" of some earlier models ? Sure glad my Turkish is more conventional with a small flat shelf.

I narrowed the shelf on a Galaxy Ember riser which was way too wide for my liking.

I have had a couple of Hill style bows that shot high for me and higher than my other bows. They had the straight grips and by lowering the shelf a little, they would impact with my other bows. I'm not sure why this is but it has worked fine for me and is pretty easily done on this type of bow.

Bear A Takedown

I've filed down a few.

“ If Fred thought modifying, improved his bows, I'm curious why he kept producing the wide flat shelves.”

I always figured that was partly because removing that wood (appropriately) takes time and effort which drives up your production costs. Not a problem for a custom sharp, but when you’re cranking them out like Model Ts, the seconds count.

And as late as the early 90s, elevated rests on recurves we’re quite a common thing. So there wasn’t much up-side to taking the time to whittle down a shelf that was never going to be used anyway.

I’ve never had issues with the big, blocky shelf on my ‘90 Howatt Hunter, because it doesn’t matter whether you reduce the contact point to the width of a toothpick by putting a radius on the shelf or by putting a toothpick under the rug.

And if you’re really shooting “instinctively”, it shouldn’t matter one way or the other...

A skeptic might even suspect that a custom bowyer saw a marketing opportunity in claiming that a more sculpted riser had practical, accuracy-related benefits in addition to the aesthetic appeal....

Never and wont ever I feel its not needed. Bows were not built this way! I feel that you bastard a bow when you do this.

Learn to shoot the bow or get rid of it is what I think. Just my thoughts.

If your a bow builder or woodworker then that's different but as a hack forget about it. You might seriously ruin the bow.

And if or when you sell the bow do you tell the new owner or you hide that?

What ever works for you. I see no difference in my shooting, and most of my vintage bows wear a Hoyt stick on rest, or if it is a flat shelf I use the match stick deal if I want to shoot from the shelf.

Lol, Fred called the shelf his rest.

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