side plate shape?

[Bullfrog 1]

What do you guys prefer? Does it matter the shape or how much contact. I usually use Velcro. Thanks.  Bill

I don't know that it matters all that much? I make my velcro rest very small, and make my sideplate to match the width of the rest piece. The shape I use is a curved triangle, kind of like the shape of a Pearson Deadhead broadhead. I also cut the bottom of the sideplate with a little concave curve to match the contour of the shelf, and I leave a small gap in the corner between the rest and side plate.

Bisch

[Longtoke]

I have been using the bear hair set up and I just leave the side plate square. I wonder if I should start shaping it to a triangle.... will the marginal difference matter?

Originally posted by Longtoke:
I have been using the bear hair set up and I just leave the side plate square. I wonder if I should start shaping it to a triangle.... will the marginal difference matter?

I highly doubt it would make a hill of beans difference. I cut mine that way because it looks cooler to me.

Bisch

[McDave]

The wood in the side plate area of some bows is curved so the arrow shaft only makes contact with a small area of the side plate.  For bows with flat surfaced wood in the side plate area, a piece of toothpick or something can be added underneath the side plate to minimize contact with the arrow shaft.  Since most people do either one or the other of these things, so there is minimal contact between the arrow shaft and the side plate, I don't think it matters what the overall shape of the side plate is.

[Zradix]

I try to cut some shape that looks nice and fits the contours of the bow.

I do make mine bigger than most...just too help make sure my arrow doesn't "smack" on the riser when moving/picking up the bow while getting ready to shoot.

[damascusdave]

I just set my 1967 Super Kodiak up with no side plate because I could not figure out what shape I wanted...seems to work fine

DDave

[damascusdave]

I just set my 1967 Super Kodiak up with no side plate because I could not figure out what shape I wanted...seems to work fine

DDave

[AkDan]

Minimal contact helps or can help greatly!  No need to trim, vut stick a tooth pick or narrow leather strip where u want ypur shaft to be in contact.  Greatly minimizes any hand torque!

[Longtoke]

What are the finer points of adding something under your strike plate? Do you just putt a little chunk of the toothpick in the middle of the grip or do you run it full length parallel with the shelf? Will it impact cut to center enough to change arrow tuning?

I'm so glad I found this forum, you guys offer such a wealth of knowledge  

Originally posted by Longtoke:
What are the finer points of adding something under your strike plate? Do you just putt a little chunk of the toothpick in the middle of the grip or do you run it full length parallel with the shelf? Will it impact cut to center enough to change arrow tuning?

I'm so glad I found this forum, you guys offer such a wealth of knowledge        

Put the toothpick vertical, right above the deepest part of the grip. And yes, it can (and probably will) effect tuning. I do not use the toothpick on my bows, but my shelfs are radiused and the rires curved just a bit to make contact minimal anyway. The toothpick trick really helps on the flat risered bows, where the shelf and riser wall are very flat surfaces.

Bisch

[Sam McMichael]

I have never paid attention to the size or shape of the side plate. When replacing a rest, I just replicate what came on the bow.

[LostNation_Larry]

What Bisch said!! It matters.

[stagetek]

I use the Bear style on all my bows. The only bow that was different was my Asbell Bighorn. Fred used a cool looking side plate.

[BowDiddle]

Although I like it to look nice, I don't really care about the shape of my strike plate.

I do care about the size of it. I always make mine large enough to help me avoid clicking an arrow against the bare wood when loading up.

Some years ago I had just shot a doe. 30 seconds after I watched her go down a nice buck (NICE BUCK) stepped in at about 10 yards from me. I had not loaded another arrow on the string, and had to do so with him standing there. I had just enough strike plate material to do the job for the arrow, and when I went to load the arrow slapped the riser just above the material. The buck looked at me for a split second, and then was gone. Since then I have used LARGE strike plate covering.