ATW stringing w/o fixed clamps?

[Moldyoak]

Maybe a simple or stupid question, but I've been watching some vids of variations on ATW stringing and I wonder: is there a way to do this properly without fixed clamps? With flying clamps in other words. I can't off the top of my head figure on a way to do it without a fixed clamp machine since initially for the first lower cross you only have one cross, not a pair, to clamp, and I think tension might be funky if you do that cross and last main and then pull/clamp that main with a flying clamp; I imagine the friction down at the angle through the grommet or hole (if wood) is going to screw with things.

Just wondering if there's some oddball variation that could be done.

 

[Irvin]

String all but one main of each side. Use the short side to run in the top cross and use a starting clamp or flying clamp to hold the top cross outside the frame. Use the long side to run all crosses except the top and bottom crosses. Remove the tip cross and tie off the short side. Finish by running an outside main, top cross, outside main, and bottom cross and tie off the long side.

EDIT: Be aware before you start that the short side could tie off on the penultimate main and adjust accordingly. You probably don’t have to weave the top cross with the short side. You can tie off the short side after tensioning and clamping the 3rd cross. It’s also possible you may be able to tie off the short side then on the 2nd or 3rd cross.

 

[Moldyoak]

String all but one main of each side. Use the short side to run in the top cross and use a starting clamp or flying clamp to hold the top cross outside the frame. Use the long side to run all crosses except the top and bottom crosses. Remove the tip cross and tie off the short side. Finish by running an outside main, top cross, outside main, and bottom cross and tie off the long side.

EDIT: Be aware before you start that the short side could tie off on the penultimate main and adjust accordingly. You probably don’t have to weave the top cross with the short side. You can tie off the short side after tensioning and clamping the 3rd cross. It’s also possible you may be able to tie off the short side then on the 2nd or 3rd cross.

Ha! I knew as I was typing the question that you would have an answer. Thanks very much!

 

[Moldyoak]

@Irvin - your process worked like a charm! Smooth as greased goose s**t!

Honestly it likely would be simpler to just do it 2 pc, or frankly just string crosses bottom up if insisting upon 1 pc as I think these racquets could take it, but I wanted to do it just as kind of a 'Sampras tribute' racquet and it's my understanding that his stringer was doing ATW. And I used VS 17 ga at 74 pounds just for giggles. Personally I do tend to prefer high tensions and boardy racquets anyway but I likely will not use it much. Just a fun project thing since I have a couple of them.

Is there a 'name' for this ATW variant or did you just come up with it or ???

 

[esgee48]

The description sounds like a box ATW variant. It’s very similar to how I do box ATW. Only difference is I have fixed clamps and can tie off the SS main.

 

[Irvin]

@Irvin - your process worked like a charm! Smooth as greased goose s**t!

Honestly it likely would be simpler to just do it 2 pc, or frankly just string crosses bottom up if insisting upon 1 pc as I think these racquets could take it, but I wanted to do it just as kind of a 'Sampras tribute' racquet and it's my understanding that his stringer was doing ATW. And I used VS 17 ga at 74 pounds just for giggles. Personally I do tend to prefer high tensions and boardy racquets anyway but I likely will not use it much. Just a fun project thing since I have a couple of them.

Is there a 'name' for this ATW variant or did you just come up with it or ???

No I didn’t name it. It started out as my short side ATW and I would string the outside string with the short side tying off the long side first. But I found it easier to tie off the short side first and use the long side at the end to do the ATW. The longer string nearer the bottom makes weaving easier for me. I’m not sure I would do it with natural gut though. But if I was doing an ATW with natural gut this is the pattern I would use, even if I were using fixed clamps.

If I were using flying clamps I would string bottom up because when you first transition from a main to a cross, but it will only be for the bottom cross.