3D Printed Bow Stand

"Stubby" and "Bruiser", the two stands currently being tested.

Background

For several years I've looked at the cheap stands some shooters are using and struggling with.  Most of these stands are flimsy and the legs are constantly coming loose or falling off.  I've thought for some time that it would be interesting to see if I could figure out how to convert a small, photographic background light stand to work as a bow stand.  I also wanted to see if such a stand could work as an alternative to these flimsy cheap stands I mentioned.

These small background light stands are designed to be small enough to hide a light behind a subject that's being photographed, generally seated and in a studio.  These stands fold up and are made of reasonably sturdy but lightweight metal tubing.  Generally they're designed to hold the weight of a studio monolight.  Plus, the legs don't come off, so no losing them!

Several months ago I decided to give it a shot.  I found a stand on eBay that I believed would work and ordered it.  The cost was very low (~$9 including shipping).  My idea was to 3D print the parts needed to convert the stand.  Fortunately, I had also recently discovered that my local library had a 3D printer and would print the parts very cheaply.

Concept

The concept is to alter a cheap, small photographic light stand to work as a bow stand by adding 3D printed components.  Because I don't want to deal with selling these I decided I will make the STL files available free of cost so that people with access to a 3D printer can try making one of these stands for themselves if they want.

Designing

Version 1 cradle rendering

Having obtained a stand, I set out to design the parts.  The two parts I figured I'd need are 1. A cradle for the bow to sit in, and 2. A string clip to keep the bowstring under control.  I figured the string clip would be a pretty simple design and that the cradle would be the difficult part to design.  Using an Avalon bowstand I have for inspiration, I came up with the first try, shown here in a render from Blender.  I also designed a string clip.  I ordered prints from the library and then began the wait.

When the parts were done, I assembled the stand and gave it a try.  There was room for improvement, but it was remarkably close to usable as it was!

Version 1 3D printed parts 

Using comments from ArcheryTalk forum posts and some ideas of my own, I have refined the cradle through a couple of additional versions.  I've arrived at two cradle designs that I like, and a couple of revisions were done on the string clip as well.

For the cradle, there are two versions, which I called v3b and v4.  V3b is shaped similar to the original design, but more rounded.  V4 is rounded, a little shorter, fatter, and the throat of the cradle is a bit wider (more open).  It is also a little more rounded than even the v3b cradle.

 

Renderings of v3b cradle (left) and v4 cradle (right)

I've tested both cradle designs and I think I prefer the v3b cradle, because the v4 is too loose for my liking if used with no padding.  The v4 cradle seems to work best when some sort of padding is applied to it to take up some of the excess room.  The v3b cradle can also be padded and still fit most average bow grips, but the fit is tighter.

Stubby and the String Clips

I had a few spare pieces laying around from the various versions, and I figured it made sense to not waste them so I ordered another stand exactly like the one I had already received.  Unfortunately, the seller shipped the wrong stand!  These small stands come in a few sizes, and they sent me the smallest one made.  After discussing options with the seller I decided to keep the stand and try it out.  Because of its small size, I've named it Stubby.  Because Stubby is smaller, the string clip had to be redesigned a bit to keep it from getting broken when the stand is collapsed.  So, there are two versions of the string clip: v2 (shown at the left below) and short (shown at the right below).

Naturally, when using the shorter stand, you'd want to use the short clip.  On the taller stand, the v2 clip works well.  Really, the short clip would probably work just fine on the taller stand too.

Want To Build One?

The STL files are below.  You may use the STL files, which means you understand the following license:

License Type:  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

You are free to:
Share — copy and redistribute the model in any medium or format
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the model

Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

NonCommercial — You may not use the model for commercial purposes.

ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the model, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.

Cradle V3b
Cradle V4
String Clip
String Clip - Short