I just got some new wood arrow from surewood. I am new to wood. My question is when bare shafting to find correct spine ( I got the test kit), do I need to finish the shaft ( stain and seal) or can I just put nock and point and go to work. Also, how straight is straight with wood. After very little work they visually look straight and roll well but when spun on spinner they have a slight wobble. How do you find those small bends.
Thanks for any help
Carl
put an appropriate weight on the tip and a nock on the back and shoot. If it is flying nock left it is too weak (for a right handed shooter) take to point off and cut 1/4 in off and reinstall the point and shoot some more. keep cutting until it flys correctly if it flys nock right then it is too stiff.
Don't worry about sealing and stain.
Wooden shafts may never be as straight as an aluminum shaft (straightest tolerances), however they can come pretty close.
By using a commercial straightener you can find slight bends or you can just roll the shaft on a flat surface like a kitchen table or counter top.
The places that show light underneath are where the shaft is bent.
Don't obsess over very small bends. It's not that critical with wood.
firs are a little different on a shaft spinner. sometimes you get some hopping. This is due to the grain in the wood making it difficult to get them PERFECTLY round HOWEVER they are straight. put some pressure on the shaft with your hand and roll it on your spinner watching the nock and broadhead tapers for run out. you can't dowel fir so it has to be sanded into shafts and the alternating soft and hard grain is why they are more difficult to make perfectly round.
But they sure shoot well. the boys at Surewood will take care of you.
As others have said you don't have to seal or finish them when wanting to bare shaft them. Just pick a day when it's not raining or snowing!
I think you'll find that Surewood's are very easy to straighten by hand straightening or using a brass hook or screwdriver to apply some pressure to the high spot. They will usually stay straight if they are premiums. As I build arrows for orders I check for straightness a couple of times through the process.
They are great wood to make arrows out of!
Minor bends in wood as you note are not that critical to good flight. The real key is making sure the point and nock are on straight.
Thanks for help. It is great to get such good advice so quick from great people. BTW I ordered directly from Surewood and I received the shafts in 2 days. That is awesome! I live halfway across the U.S.
Carl
I'm not as "pro" as most here, but I used to make all my own. I found that shooting the woods is the best way to determine their ability. Wood is not naturally straight, and I found that slight bends as mentioned above are just fine. Once shot, you will be surprised at how well a non perfect woodie actually flies.
I have found the Surewoods to be more than straight enough-I only buy the good stuff. No finish is needed-the nocks get glued on the points I just push on-it usually works. LOL!