Hey folks. Question: which way of horizontal squeezing of the frame is canonical and proper? On the picture there are 2 li-lings, unstrung frame form is equal for both. Black one was stringed with more force applied on the side, the red one, obviously, has none or very little (compared to black). Which is the proper/by the book way? Thanks
The point is to keep the shape after stringing as close as possible to the unstrung frame. But every machine is slightly different. A rule of thumb is to have it touch but not bend the frame at all when mounting. You probably feel a slight resistance at that point. Compare shapes and adjust for next time accordingly.
This exactly. There should be a certain resistance when tightening the side supports but once you see the racket visibly deforming, you definitely went one step too far.
The goal is not to compress the frame but to keep it from expanding. If the frame changes shape when you mount it you are mounting it too tight.