" Does the thimble need to be so close to your body? It looks pretty
uncomfortable bowing.
    I keep wondering, if you used a longer shaft,..................

   well, all I have seen, have very short shafts with the thimble right
up against you.  Does it need to be there for another reason I am not
seeing?"

I imagine added leverage as being the problem in having the thimble 
further away from your body, placing more stress on the business end of 
the tool.

What might work, is to have a longer shaft between bearing and thimble, 
and fitting a hand sized sleeve over the shaft allowing you to hold the 
parser with one hand while bowing with the other. Might provide a little 
more control too.

PeterH in Perth
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