Archery Business: Jul/Aug 2010
30 archeryBUSINESS July/August 2010 EXPERT TUNING TIPS Whether the problem is them, their bow, their ar -row or their accessories, customers expectand deserveconsistent, systematic service.BOW CHECK-IN:Villa said credibility starts at the front desk. Don't just take a customer's name and phone num- ber, and send them on his way. T ao's Archery Service pulls out a spec sheet for the bow and records the work the customer requests, includ- ing what might be wrong. Villa; his wife, Alice; or his technician, Hobie Rink, also records the bow's make, hand, model, serial number, draw length, peak poundage, string length, yoke cable, control cable, arrow make and size, arrow length and vane make/colors, and whether the person shoots \037ngers. I n other words, the spec sheet leaves little to chance. T hey record everything they \037nd while inspecting for cracked limbs, damaged cams or wheels, frayed strings or cables, or other obvious problems. I f they've worked on the bow before, they check it against its previous spec sheet, which is kept on \037le. I f the customer made any adjustments or if the bow was dry-\037red, they'll quickly learn what was changed or what is needed to replace broken parts or frayed strings or cables. A thorough check-in might seem rudimentary, but this is an effective way to show customers that their bows are being left in competent hands. T ime seldom permits customers to hang around for the entire high-end tuning process.THE EXAMINA TION PROCEEDSOnce the serious work begins, Villa tightens all limb bolts to maximum poundage. "You want the bow under peak load for all tuning," he said. He then puts the bow's spec sheet to work. Its back page lists 12 check-points with cor -responding columns labeled "Condition In" and "Work Done." With the bow at "static rest," he checks the cam lean top and bottom, and records its measurement away or toward the bow's cable guard. He will check to see if he can correct for lean by adding a twist to one side of the yoke cable, or by shuf\036ing its axle spacersnoting CROSSBOWS NEED SOME TLC, TOOTEIJO VILLA of T ao' Archery Services in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, probably sees more crossbows than many dealers because they've long been legal throughout the province for big-game hunting. When asked about crossbow repairs, Villa shakes his head and says: "Nobody does preventive maintenance on compound-style crossbows." He said his shop receives crossbows from across the country when customers \037nally realize their gear needs a tune-up. "Cam synchronization is the biggest problem," Villa said. "And cam lean is huge. There's often a tremendous amount of slop in the cams. We're adding spacers in many cases. "No one expects their crossbow to have problems because they're built so sturdily," Villa contin-ued. "But I'd say if you're looking at a crossbow that's more than \037ve years old, its bushings will be worn out. You'll \037nd no grease on the axles and no grease in the limb pivots or pockets. P eople just don't take care of them." Patrick Durkin Utah's Tim Gillingham, an accomplished pro shooter and bowhunter, believes most bowhunters don't pay enough attention to sight leveling. Because hunting rigs are more susceptible to torque and shifting, Gillingham has developed a sight-leveling tool called the Easy Third Axis Level (see sidebar page 32). 026-034_AB10JUL-tuningtips.indd 30 6/8/10 10:15:17 AM
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