Strings and cables

Replace and adjust the cables: Discovery

The Discovery has no cams; its cables run through slides, one on a carbon rod. Here's how Oneida and FireBrand say to relax the bow, keep the cables in their slides, and use cable twists for tiller, weight and alignment.

Difficulty Advanced
Time About 1–2 hours (estimate)
For 1 Oneida model

Oneida Discovery, including later FireBrand-built bows.

All how-to guides

We're still double-checking this guide against how we do it in the shop. If anything doesn't match your bow, stop and text us or call 270-318-2020.

Before you start

Never use a regular compound bow press on an Oneida. Oneida's bracket press (23 in apart) is only needed to twist the string.
Make sure every cable sits in all three slides before you draw.
Stay under the rated weight to protect the carbon rod and riser.
Reset the draw stops before drawing if you move the axle, or the bow can lock at full draw.
Wear safety glasses, keep your face back and fingers out of the limb gap. Never dry-fire.

Steps

Learn the layout: each yoke cable hangs on the draw-length axle by the saddle, and the cables cross through the cable slide on the cable-guard rod and run through the power slides.
Relax the bow with the weight bolts, counter-clockwise, switching every 2 full turns and counting. More turns on one end can roll the center slide off its rod.
Or, on FireBrand bows with rounded draw stops, use the short stringer (see 'Replace the string: Discovery').
Pull the E-clips off the draw-length axle to free the yoke cable, noting which hole it was in.
Fit the new cables the way the old ones came off. Neither manual gives power-cable end steps, so call us if anything isn't obvious.
Put the axle back in the same hole and snap the E-clips on. If you change holes, reset the draw stops before drawing (see 'Change draw length and let-off: Discovery').
Check the yoke offset: Oneida's Discovery yokes are offset 3/16 in, right side shorter. Oneida says the right side can be shortened by twisting if yours isn't.
Check that every cable is in all three slides.
Put the weight back with the same turns, switching every 2.
Check tiller from the back of each end cap to the string; if the top is closer, turn the top bolt counter-clockwise.
Use FireBrand's other tiller fix if needed: twist the whole cable, never the yoke, which can pull the limbs out of line.
Add peak weight, if wanted, by twisting the main body of the cables equally at both ends, then twisting the string to keep brace height.
Check brace height and twist the string to raise it.
Fix a leaning limb tip: slack the cables, then twist that side's yoke cable toward the way the tip needs to go.
Wax the cables near the slides and the surfaces under them; never oil the slides. Oil the hinge pin after wet use and before storage.