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Starting Clamp as a Starting Clamp

A lot of stringers use the starting clamp to back up the machine clamp on the first main, or put the starting clamp on the outside of the frame. But I use my starting clamp on the inside of the frame. Backing up the machine clamp with the starting clamp holds the string, but the side-load applied to the machine clamp by the tension head wears out the clamp base to the point where it will start to slip. Using the starting on the outside of the frame is hard on the adjacent grommet, and we’ve found that the string suffers a lot of wear and tear.

I avoid all these problems by using my starting clamp inside the frame. After threading the short and long sides through the grommets for the two center mains, I install my second short-side main, and apply my starting clamp inside the hoop on the end of the racquet farther from the tension head. I then pull tension on the first short-side main, and clamp off using the machine clamp. I next tension and clamp the first three mains on the long side as normal, before going back to tension the second short-side main, at which time I remove my starting clamp and clamp off using the machine clamp as normal.

When using delicate or slippery string, or when stringing at really high tensions, I use two starting clamps, one behind the other, in the same fashion.

Bow Brand string pack (including 1 set of natural gut) to:

Chase Oliphant, Indio, CA

From the August 2004 issue
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