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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Ikohlhof91 on May 06, 2020, 06:24:31 AM
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How straight is straight when building wood arrows? If i set my arrow spinner about 5” from the nock and point end of my shafts and spin them, they spine true and look straight when you eyeball down the shaft, but if you set the spinner up closer to the center of the shaft they’ll have a slight wobble.
My question is how straight is straight when building woodies? Am i just being anal and letting my OCD take over? Lol
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I am assuming that you are referencing woods, so...
I found that a good helical fletching and the nature of wood take care of the vast majority of issues. Wood does not correct paradox as quickly as aluminum, and aluminum likewise or carbon. As long as the tip does not wobble a lot of off center, they shot well for me.
I find it easier to shoot a slightly crooked wood than a straight carbon. Carbon is more particular about tuning and release.
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With wood arrows(all I use), every time I mount a head, field point or broadhead, I spin the arrow on my finger tip. If I feel a wobble I reset the point. If that doesn't help I sight down the shaft and hand straighten as necessary. For arrows I just can't get to spin true I either make fluflus with them or tomato stakes.
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My guess is you probably have them straight enough, if only a slight wobble. However, you can continue to work on them to remove most of that as well. Bows in the middle of the shaft can usually be taken out with some rubbing/palm pressure. For sharper bends nearer the ends, I use a roller. A little heat is useful to straighten more difficult bends, and it seems to help the wood stay straighter.
Wood often will straighten out the gentle bends through shooting, provided, of course, that you don't bend them more by pulling them out of the target incorrectly. Use two hands, and pull straight back. One handed arrow pulling, particularly if the pull isn't straight back, is a good way to bend woodies.
Nice thing about wood is it will usually shoot straight even if it the arrow isn't perfectly straight. Of course, crooked nocks or points will mess up arrow flight regardless. Good luck.
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try rolling them on something nice and flat this will show where the issues are...i use a spinner to check my head mount not shaft strightness
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"Nice thing about wood is it will usually shoot straight even if it the arrow isn't perfectly straight. Of course, crooked nocks or points will mess up arrow flight regardless."
X2. If the point doesn't spin true, you'll see "corkscrew" flight, but it'll hit pretty close (depending how off the point mount is). If the nock is off, you'll be off consistently, usually hitting high or low, left or right, depending on the bend.I have a board with parallel lines the full length of the arrow behind my spinner, so I can sight at eye level and see where the bend is, see if there's point or nock wobble, etc. I make sure the point and nock are as true as my eyesight can get them.
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I like my woods as straight as possible. I was pretty picky at one time, used my AAE straightener on them. Gave that up when I realized temperatures and humidity affect the arrows no matter what or how much finish is on them. Long as I don’t see the arrow wobble when I spin it it good to go.
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My experience with wood is that if the nock is on straight and the broadhead is on straight some lack of straightness in the shaft won't affect flight. That doesn't seem to hold true for aluminum or carbon. A better way to put it is if there is some lack of straightness on the shaft when you spin it on the point but the nock and point spin true, no problem.
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For wood arrows, I'd roll them on the kitchen table. Once fletched, however, I had to find a board smaller than the fletching and roll them on it. For aluminum, I have an old arrow straightener with a dial which I spin them on. I can detect a bend and straighten with the lever.
For point straightness, I made a cheap jig out of screen door rollers from HD.
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My experience has been pretty much as Toejammer said. Unless the bend is pretty severe, the arrow will shoot tighter than most of us can hold. If it is accurate out to 20 yards, it is good to go in my opinion. Beyond that, it might get iffy.
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I have a high end aluminum arrow straightener, but it frustrates me chasing straightness on a wood arrow. I usually use it for setting the broadhead. Before fletching I roll on the counter next to the stove, heat over the element and straighten by hand. Then a week in a soak tube with watco oil, spray can crest and spliced feathers finished with the burner.
I may scrap out my straightener, keep the roller bed for setting broadheads and steal the dial indicator for setting up my tablesaw and jointer.