Bow tuning/set up questions.

[stikbow]

I have a couple of quick questions guys.  

1.  I just ordered a "tuning" kit (arrows) from 3Rivers and noticed that most of the tuning recommendations that I see on here recommend bare shaft tuning.  Is bare shaft tuning the best way to get a good tune or can I leave the fletching on without having to strip them off and still get good results?  

2.  I am shooting a 1969 Bear Grizzly and the arrow shelf is flat.  Would it be best for me to build up the shelf so that I get as little contact with the arrow as possible or should I just shoot it the way it is?  If it would be better for me to build it up then what would be the best way for me to accomplish this?

[SveinD]

I was told at my archery club, to just build up the leather patch with a piece of broken-off match..

[NDTerminator]

I have a couple recurves with a flat shelf.  I cut a piece of rug rest as wide as the shelf and maybe 1/2" long, put that on the center of the shelf, then cut a rug rest to fit the shelf and put it on over that so the first piece creates a bit of a hump.  This creates a radius and provides some give to the shelf...

[lpcjon2]

For my Hill I took a leather belt and a razor blade and shaved the thickness I wanted and glued it on for the plate and did the same for the rest.Get a belt from a thrift shop and you have enough for the rest of your life.

[smokin joe]

You can tune very accurately with feathers if you paper tune. There are good instructions for paper tuning on the Elite Arrow website.

[Fletcher]

I'll second smokin joe's recommendation for paper tuning.  It works great for me.  T.J. Conrads book,
the Traditional Bowhunters Handbook" has good paper tuning info, too.  Actually, it has good info on most everything concerning trad archery/bowhunting.