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I read somewhere that wood arrows or shafts are usually weaker or stiffer than the spine weight that they are rated for from sellers. I can't remember which. Anyone help me out?
Thanks,
Jack
Thanks,
Jack
Wood Arrow Question
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274 Posts
I would disagree, it depends on where you get your shafts. Yes you can buy "sorted" shafts but most are machined sorted. I've found that some shaft makers will hand pre-sort their shafts to a specific range. Once you have them in your possession I will re-sort and orientate them with a Ram Arrow Spine Tester. The Ram will allow me to re-sort them within a 1/2 lb. of deflection by orientation. The reason I have the Ram is with it's micrometer dial I can rotate the shaft to a specific poundage deflection, mark it and have a set that will spine out almost identical.
There are many spine testers out there but few will get your spine down to within a 1/2 lb. consistently. I've used the Ram with my carbon shafts as well. Just slowly turn the shaft to where the deflection is consistent with your set, mark your nocking point location and go to the next one. It's not a cheap endeavor but it'll produce shafts few can duplicate. At the longer distances you can tell (ie. Field / Target).
One thing to be mindful of is I used to set my nock 90 degrees to the grain but with grain run out this is not always the most consistent way of placing nocks on wooden shafts. After re-spining all my shafts that I'd placed nocks on with the above method I was surprised the wide range of deflection.
LBL
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14,319 Posts
I've found that a lot of the standard port orford cedar shafts do work well with listed spine 8-10-12 pounds heavier than bow pounds.
Not to disagree, L.L., I DO RESPECT your opinion - - thinking we could be talking about a 'way different priced shaft, here.
Mine have all been cheapies.
Not to disagree, L.L., I DO RESPECT your opinion - - thinking we could be talking about a 'way different priced shaft, here.
Mine have all been cheapies.
Longbow Lawyer, you really got my wheels turning.... Like you, I always set my nock 90 degrees to the grain and, if there were runouts, I orient the runouts on the top side of the arrow. I do that in the hope that, should an arrow "let go", or "explode" on the release, the splinters would tend to shoot up and away from my bowhand. (Every time I see a photograph of a piece of a shaft punched through an archer's hand, I makes me sick to my stomach.)
I always bought sorted shafts and never felt I needed a spine tester. You have just given me an "uh-oh" moment. Maybe I need to give the purchase of a spine tester some serious consideration. Thanks for your post.
I always bought sorted shafts and never felt I needed a spine tester. You have just given me an "uh-oh" moment. Maybe I need to give the purchase of a spine tester some serious consideration. Thanks for your post.
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995 Posts
Sharpstick,
For example, i have ordered 60/65 spine shafts before and scaled them at 58/62 spine range. Most of the time they are pretty close. May just be slight differences in spine tester calibration. Also, i wonder if they were cut from wood that still had some moisture content and then dried out and changed the spine slightly.
That being said I would order with confidence from a reputable shaft supplier. I will sort mine to within 1-2# of spine and shoot them. Im not a good enough shot to notice the difference.
For example, i have ordered 60/65 spine shafts before and scaled them at 58/62 spine range. Most of the time they are pretty close. May just be slight differences in spine tester calibration. Also, i wonder if they were cut from wood that still had some moisture content and then dried out and changed the spine slightly.
That being said I would order with confidence from a reputable shaft supplier. I will sort mine to within 1-2# of spine and shoot them. Im not a good enough shot to notice the difference.
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1,675 Posts
Depending on who you buy from yes, you can get shafts that are weaker.
There are great suppliers out there such as Wapiti Archery for POC and Doug Fir, Surewood Shafts for Doug Fir and Hemlock (limited), Hildebrand Arrow Shafts for Sitka Spruce and Doug Fir, and Allegheny Mountain Arrow Woods for the hardwood shafts. These companies are shaft producers and you can speak directly to the folks who are processing the woods, matching your shafts, and shipping them to you. They're quality companies with folks who really care that you'll be happy with their shafts.
Even so, I always spine and weigh them myself upon receiving. However, in dealing with these four companies I rarely find a shaft outside of spec.
There are great suppliers out there such as Wapiti Archery for POC and Doug Fir, Surewood Shafts for Doug Fir and Hemlock (limited), Hildebrand Arrow Shafts for Sitka Spruce and Doug Fir, and Allegheny Mountain Arrow Woods for the hardwood shafts. These companies are shaft producers and you can speak directly to the folks who are processing the woods, matching your shafts, and shipping them to you. They're quality companies with folks who really care that you'll be happy with their shafts.
Even so, I always spine and weigh them myself upon receiving. However, in dealing with these four companies I rarely find a shaft outside of spec.
Despite the best in spine and weight selection, I have still gotten a couple of shafts that won't fly right. I wondered if the variations in grain within the shaft cause an issue. Just because it spines 58# at the center, is it the same through out the entire length?
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1,970 Posts
The issue at hand here may be the fact that woodies are spined as per the AMO procedure (2# weight arrow sitting on supports 26" apart) and synthetics are spined as per the ASTM procedure (1.94# weight, arrow sitting on supports 28" apart) The 2 different methods will give 2 different deflection readings. Given the same shaft, the ASTM method will show more deflection.
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1,675 Posts
I calculate spine needs for woods by the rule of 5's. That gets me the actual spine I'll need, but a 5# spread is almost impossible for all but the best to see a difference between.
Wstrayer - if you're getting one or two that are "flyers", it's generally not an issue with density or grain. Either they aren't as straight as they should be, or you may have your nock on crooked....that's critical on wood shafts. When putting the nock on, spin the tail end of the arrow on a spinner and make adjustments just like you would when mounting a broadhead.
If you want some help with straightening, try this link.
Wstrayer - if you're getting one or two that are "flyers", it's generally not an issue with density or grain. Either they aren't as straight as they should be, or you may have your nock on crooked....that's critical on wood shafts. When putting the nock on, spin the tail end of the arrow on a spinner and make adjustments just like you would when mounting a broadhead.
If you want some help with straightening, try this link.
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995 Posts
I have found no easy way to exactly predetermine wood spine needs for a bow. I have accumulated a variety of shafts and will test shoot to see what is needed then order more of what I need.
Currently, I am shooting 58-59# spine arrows cut a little past 30" BOP from a 47#@30" R/D Omega longbow. I will order 3 dozen shafts of the same specs (55-60# spine all matched in weight) and then break them down into subsets of 1-2# of spine, then tune the bow to that set.
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14,319 Posts
Thanks!!
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I have bought some from one big company and they were always off ,I now buy them from another company always right on , I get them within a 5 grain weight . I use my spine tester to set my nocks as the grain changes down the shaft . I make a lot of arrows for people GRAYFEATHER VOODOO ARROWS ,and VOODOO NO-MISS . I only use cedar shafts .there are a lot of great shaft makers ,you just have to find a good one , best by talking with people who bought from them !!
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