Strand Count for 100# ?

[adb]

OK... I looked up the data I recorded on string weights for my warbows. Two strings, both 74" long, one 14 strand, one 20 strand. D97 FF. That's waxed and ready to go, both with an 8" long X 0.24" diameter serving.

14 strand string... 131 grains
20 strand string... 146 grains

You do the math. It's nothing. I found it makes more of a difference what type and size of center serving I used and how much and what type of wax I used on the string that made the biggest difference! I had some 20 strand strings that actually weighed LESS than some 14 strand strings, because I used a smaller diameter serving and less of it.

[WillS]

Oh, I'm with you on the "it doesn't really make a difference" thing.  Everybody has their own preference.  I quite like the feeling of very thin strings, even with high poundage bows and thin serving.  As you say, there's more important factors such as wax, and of course the bow itself.  Stick a 5 strand string on a sluggish badly tillered bow and it still ain't gonna go as far as a 30 strand rope on a reflexed power house of a bow.

I was actually only picking up on the comment "that's the look I want for all my bows and bugger performance" as it sounded "reet daft lad" as they say up north. 

[meanewood]

Thought that might stir you up

[Badger]

  If a 14 strand string weighs 131 grains then a 20 strand string should weigh close to 200 grains. Almost 10 grains per strand. We did considerable testing on this using lighter hunting bows and found each 2 strands added reduces speed by 1 1/2 ft per second. Not sure how that would work out on a heavy war bow but any added mass reduces speed.

[adb]

  If a 14 strand string weighs 131 grains then a 20 strand string should weigh close to 200 grains. Almost 10 grains per strand. We did considerable testing on this using lighter hunting bows and found each 2 strands added reduces speed by 1 1/2 ft per second. Not sure how that would work out on a heavy war bow but any added mass reduces speed.

Hi, Steve. I'm not sure what scale you're using, but I just weighed a 74" strand of D97 and it came out to 4.3 - 4.5 grains. I still agree that (all else being equal) a lighter string will give better cast, but for heavy warbows, I think the difference is negligible. I think this issue is much more important for pure flight shooters, using lighter draw weight bows, and very light flight arrows.

[Badger]

Ad, I just divided 14 into 131 and it came out to 9.35 per strand, I multiplied that by 20 and came out with 187 grains, but as you say on a war bow I doubt it would make an appreciable difference. When i went to the walk the talk event we tested same bow with different string counts. These were 50# bows. Every 2 strands seem to make a 1.5 fps difference.

[adb]

Those weights are for complete strings, waxed and with 8" - 9" center serving. Like I already said, I have some 20 strand strings that weigh less than some 14 and 16 strand strings, depending on how heavily they're waxed and what kind of center serving they have.

[Badger]

  I thought about that afterward, i didnt allow for wax and serving, brain dead sometimes.

[adb]

I was very surprised when I realised how much weight the wax adds to the string.

[Peter-t123]

eight

[adb]

eight

 

[gianluca100]

Hello,

I tested the breaking strength of different modern material and FF+ came out close to 50 pounds.

It was not a 'scientific' test, I just tied the string samples around a bucket grip (soft and smooth and without a knot) and filled in weight until the string broke.
I repeated this procedure more than a dozen times with each string material I tested and avaraged out the results.
That's also the way I test linen and other natural fibers and it worked well so far.

By the way, Dacron B50 and B500 registered at about 35 pounds, D-75 at 65 and 'D-75 thin' at about 50.

ciao,
gian-luca

[Del the cat]

Thanks for all the input guys .
I went with 14 with a couple of extra strands laid in at the loops.
Del

[adb]

Hello,

I tested the breaking strength of different modern material and FF+ came out close to 50 pounds.

It was not a 'scientific' test, I just tied the string samples around a bucket grip (soft and smooth and without a knot) and filled in weight until the string broke.
I repeated this procedure more than a dozen times with each string material I tested and avaraged out the results.
That's also the way I test linen and other natural fibers and it worked well so far.

By the way, Dacron B50 and B500 registered at about 35 pounds, D-75 at 65 and 'D-75 thin' at about 50.

ciao,
gian-luca

Excellent. Thanks for sharing.

[mikekeswick]

Those breaking strains concure with my testing as well.
A really good linen string is the same or not much bigger diameter than b50 of evivalent strength in my experience. Bickerstaffe has jumped to conclusions about nock sizes and that sort of thing IMO. Those strings would have been made from the finest materials available with superb knowledge to back up the process.
Using fastflight I would use 8 strands with a dyneema serving for performance . 12 for all 'roundedness' and 18 for a 'last for ever' string.