[SandSquid]

Also, no matter how much I pay attention to making sure I have even tension on the string when I am wraping it around the post somewhere along the way I seem to have one strand be loose. Any ideas what I am doing wrong?

I get this as well. I'm by no means an expert but I've studied the hows and whys pretty closely. The way I "deal with it" is to serve the loop portion and then rotate the posts closed, line up the loop servings on the outer posts (or on my tensioning jig hooks) and "stretch" the strings. "Stretch" is a misnomer at this stage of the build as you are not really stretching but "evening out" the tension to get all the courses of your layout to more or less even tension. Since there is only about 3/4" to 1" of serving at each end there is enough give. After a few minutes under this tension, I'll start serving the end loops closed for about 20 rotations of the serving jig, then crank up the tension for another 20 wraps, then put in my 20 or so twists and crank up the tension and finish serving out the length I need. Since I adopted this methodology I have had no individual strands any looser than other in the bundle.

 

[SDLAW]

Part of the reason your strands come loose is because the posts are probably flexing as wraps are added. The posts on the apple jig are a little light in my opinion. Bungee cords can help and so will burnishing the string under tension. Taking care to not wrap too tight during the layout part of the build will reduce the flexing problem. I would not serve the loop ends until the strands are pretty much equally tensioned. It will take more time and effort to get the strands equal after any serving if you even can. Tensioning and more burnishing before doing the rest of the serving will fix small problems but not big ones.

 

[bowhunterprime]

BCY sales a DVD hosted by Lary Wise that teaches how to make a string on the Apple string jig. If you don't have it, it's worth buying. I'd have never figured it out on my own. -Chris

 

[SandSquid]

BCY sales a DVD hosted by Lary Wise that teaches how to make a string on the Apple string jig. If you don't have it, it's worth buying. I'd have never figured it out on my own. -Chris

I have the Larry Wise DVD as well as the LittleJon DVD, they are both similar in many ways but different enough. Both have some really good ideas that can span both camps. That being said, If you have a "standard" 4 (or 3) Post string jig, get the Larry Wise DVD.