Tuning and setup

Straighten a twisted or cocked outboard limb

A twisted-looking outboard limb is almost never warped. Usually the limb butt has shifted on the power limb, or the yoke cable has slid sideways in the saddle. Both can usually be fixed with patience.

  • Difficulty Advanced
  • Time 20–60 minutes
  • For All Oneida lever bows

The main steps are for the 1980s–90s bows. Stealth, Discovery and Black Eagle notes are near the end. C.P., Extreme Eagle/Falcon/Switchblade, Kestrel, Phoenix and 2017+ Osprey owners should check with us first.

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

  • The usual causes are an outboard butt not parallel with the power limb, or a yoke cable slid sideways in the saddle. A truly warped limb is rare.
  • Common culprits: a treestand fall, a car door or a trunk lid.
  • A slightly cocked limb doesn't hurt accuracy; arrows just land a little to one side.
  • Wear safety glasses and keep fingers clear of the string. This work is done with weight on the bow.

Steps

  1. Hold the bow facing you and compare the gaps between the yoke cables and power limb on each side. Even gaps mean it's aligned.
  2. Rap the saddle sharply with a nylon mallet in the needed direction if the outboard butt sticks out past the power limb, with full weight on and hinge screws tight.
  3. Suspect loose hinge screws if a LIGHT tap moves it. Reaching them means taking all the weight off, unstringing and folding the limb, so call if unsure.
  4. Sight down the string tip to tip. A tip leaning left or right means the yoke cable shifted in that saddle.
  5. Clamp the leaning outboard limb in a padded vise between hinge and saddle, string up.
  6. Loosen the saddle screw about 2 turns (the older manual says 3).
  7. Never twist so far that the string jumps off the limb; Oneida warns that can cause serious injury.
  8. Push or pull the grip sideways while sighting down the string until it rides centered in the limb groove, going a little past straight.
  9. Tighten the saddle screw, draw a few times and sight again. Repeat as needed.
  10. Replace the yoke cables if the limb keeps going back; aligning new yokes at mid weight fixes a permanent kink.
  11. Tighten the yoke plate screws after new yokes, then the saddle screws once aligned.
  12. Black Eagle: straighten the limbs while the weight is still light after cable or string work, then lock the hub before drawing.
  13. Stealth Eagle: loosen both saddle screws, twist the limb straight using the string as a guide and retighten. Keep fingers out of pinch points.
  14. Discovery: slack the cables, then twist that side's yoke cable toward the way the tip needs to go.
  15. C.P. Oneidas, Extreme Eagle, Falcon and Switchblade: check with us before using the vise method, especially on carbon outboards.
  16. Kestrel, Phoenix and 2017+ Osprey: check with us first; the Kestrel manual names the same causes but sends owners to a dealer.

Tips

  • A loose saddle screw makes a clicking noise. (Dealer Instructions p.38)
  • Keep the outboard limbs clear of branches; a hit mid-shot can damage the timing system. (Dealer Instructions p.10, p.19)