Short arrow, spine vs weight?

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I am making a short bow for my adviser that will have a 19-20" draw. I want to make some arrows that will draw to the head at that length so the shaft will be about 1/2" longer than the draw length. Right now the bow is drawing 45 lbs at 18" and I'm working on getting the handle bending so it can be drawn further. But for an arrow of this length I think that it would be hard to get both the spine and weight of the arrow right. So which would be the better of the two to aim for, proper arrow weight for draw weight or proper spine? What I have to use are hickory and bamboo. I want to use the bamboo so it will be a more primitive arrow for him but I am considering the hickory so that the arrow will be of a heavier weight for the spine that I will need. The heads on the arrows will be half steel field points for shooting around and easily pull out of targets and the other half will be either stone or bone heads. What do you all think?

[Thesquirrelslinger]

use heavy points:P it will do both.
Shoot for consistant spine. It can massively screw up your accuracy. Weight is also important, but I think you can adjust the point's weight to make it work. 

[half eye]

Mo_,
     I shoot most of my short bows NA style where the bow is nearly flat to the ground or at least way past 45 degrees. If ya shoot the bow in a vertical attitude then spine is gonna be real important but archer paradox (windage) becomes Asmuth (elevation) when the bow is rotated toward the ground. If it helps you at all I have never spined a short arrow.....ever. The weight makes a bigger difference because it affects speed (velocity). Also that heavy head stuff dont make any difference either, I've got 30 grain flint heads and 180 grain steel heads and heavy shafts and lite shafts and at 20 yards and under it does not seem to make a hill of difference. They both penetrate very well, and both are quiet and both fly true....for what that may be worth.
     Hope that helps.
rich

[Mo_coon-catcher]

So I should concentrate more on getting the weight that I want more than the spine of the arrow, atleast with the more horizontal hold. That's how I was shooting this bow earlier and the arrows were hitting high a lot of times, but it's something that can be adjusted for. The arrows seem pretty high spined for everything I have shot them out of.  This little bow flung arrows like rockets for its draw length. It shot faster than a 45lbs glass recurve that I have that was being drawn to 27" and the short bow was drawn to around 17". The recurve is not the fastest though seeing how I broke the tips and kevlar wrapped and epoxied them for a fix. The little bow is also way quieter.

[twisted hickory]

I made some red osier arrows with 60 grain points that were 22 in long and they shot out of a kids bow that was 39 lbs at 21 inches. I think the bow was 1/2 from center shot. They flew very fast cause they only weighted like 225 -260 grains. They were right at 1/4 inch round w 4 inch fletches. I would make them 5/16 and add 100 gr points. Make two up and see how they shoot if a little too stiff peel off the fletches and nocks and taper them from mid shaft to nock so 1/4 fits and then try them. I just finished a bow that is 60 in and 34 lbs at 24 inches that is 5/16 from center. The arrows that spine good for the bow are 25.5 inches long and taper to 1/4 inch nocks from 5/16, the arrows were 30-35 spine. They started taper 3 inches from Back of point. You will be suprised how well they shoot. The little bow will chuck the arrows between 175 and 185 yards when flight shooting them with 3 inch fletches that are 1/2 tall.
Hope this helps.
Greg

[Mo_coon-catcher]

Helps a lot, thanks. I'll be heading home from school for the semester in a few days then I'll be able to start on some arrows.