Help me string crosses faster

[wfudeac]

It's really easy to string the mains, but sometimes the crosses can take forever. Do you have any tips? I guess the biggest problem is towards the end, near the throat, when it's a pain to weave the string through because there's not a lot of slack string and it's hard to pull the string from one end to the other. Especially since there's no "angle" once you get near the bottom

Also, there's usually lots of string traffic and sometimes it can be difficult to find space for the clamps as well. As far as weaving, what's your method? I usually make a small loop and weave that through, instead of pressing the string with my fingertips on both sides.

Any tips would be a must since I'd really like to cut down on my crosses time.

 

[LttlElvis]

Stringing the last 2 crosses by the throat are the toughest since there is not much room and the stringbed is pretty tight by now.

What type of stringer do you have ? If you don't have too much room beneath the racquet, your loop method works well. I have plenty of room under the stringbed so I use both hands on top and bottom of the mains, and use my fingertips to guide the tip of the string. I can do it pretty fast. Faster than the loop method for me.

Also use the string one cross ahead method. In other words, weave cross #1. Then weave cross #2. (Leave about 1 inch of string out the grommet so you don't have to search for the end.) Tension cross #1. Weave cross #3. Tension cross #2. Weave cross #4. Tension cross #3. etc.

This leaves the stringbed staggered so you don't have to weave up and down as much.

One last tip is to try to figure out the pattern of the stringbed where the majority of the crosses end up over the last main. This speeds me up slightly, but it is no big deal either way.

 

[Steve Huff]

String at a nice, steady pace. Don't stop to fiddle with the ends etc, just keep the same pace without being distracted. I know when I first started a few decades ago, I'd weave a cross, sigh, pull the string through, look at it to make sure it was right, sigh, get ready for the next cross, start weaving etc. As you get more confident, this will come easier. But just work on weave, pull the string through, tension, weave, pull the string through, tension, etc, and keep the pace the same. If you mis weave, don't panic, get mad, etc. just unweave, reweave, pull the string through, tension, ....

 

[Eli_Ace]

It's really easy to string the mains, but sometimes the crosses can take forever. Do you have any tips? I guess the biggest problem is towards the end, near the throat, when it's a pain to weave the string through because there's not a lot of slack string and it's hard to pull the string from one end to the other. Especially since there's no "angle" once you get near the bottom

Also, there's usually lots of string traffic and sometimes it can be difficult to find space for the clamps as well. As far as weaving, what's your method? I usually make a small loop and weave that through, instead of pressing the string with my fingertips on both sides.

Any tips would be a must since I'd really like to cut down on my crosses time.

i think it gets the hardest when you finally get to the top and it takes forever

 

[rasajadad]

In addition to stringing one ahead, I use the index finger method of weaving (although I use my middle fingers) where you use the tips of your fingers to do the over/under. Also, wax the mains (Parrafin). It helps get the last couple of crosses through easier.