How straight is straight?

[HighEagle]

 How straight do you like to get wild rose shafts? You try to get out all the little bends or just the big most obvious ones?
  Thanks, Chuck

[Pat B]

As long as the point and nock line up and the shaft spins true it will shoot as well as any. I've made some pretty crooked shoot shaft arrows that shoot just fine.

[HighEagle]

Thanks Pat,
  I was hoping you would answer. I know you have answered this question many times but I could remember, Thanks again Chuck

[Danzn Bar]

I try to get them as straight as possible...
And I agree with Pat,  as long as when you spin it on the point and the nock end spins in a tight spiral around itself your good to go.  I've also had arrows that were crooked between the point an nock with a tight spiral at the nock that shot real well.
Good luck with them.
DBar

[Pat B]

I've made a few arrows with crooks and bends in them and they shoot quite well. I would never hunt with one of these arrows because the crooks, etc would impede penetration but stepping up to the practice line at an archery shoot with a stick bow and crooked arrow really gets folks looking and giggling until that arrow hits the bulls eye.   

[Danzn Bar]

Very good point on the hunting shafts.....Pat
DBar

[Pat B]

Sourwood shoots are good for crooked arrows. As the shoots grow they will divert their growth when they come I contact to something else then back upward leaving at least an "S" curve in the shaft. These shoots can grow to 5" or 6" on some trees but most are a little longer than arrow shaft length.  Art Butner taught me how to make these crooked arrows.

[SamIAm]

Thanks High Eagle.....I really appreciate this post, had the same question myself.  I just finished my first river cane arrows and found it nearly impossible to get them "straight as an arrow."  I was wondering during the process just how they would shoot since they weren't perfect.  I shot them for the first time yesterday and two of the three shot very well.  And very fast!!  I was really impressed with the increase in speed I noticed from my standard POC arrows.  I like the "spin" test suggestion.  Thanks again.

[HighEagle]

Thanks for all the help guys,
 I have been reading a lot of past post by Art Butner "artcher1" and Pat B on arrows LOTS OF GOOD INFO....
Chuck

[Danzn Bar]

Sourwood shoots are good for crooked arrows. As the shoots grow they will divert their growth when they come I contact to something else then back upward leaving at least an "S" curve in the shaft. These shoots can grow to 5" or 6" on some trees but most are a little longer than arrow shaft length.  Art Butner taught me how to make these crooked arrows.

Pat,
What type of fletching do you use on your "crooked" arrows?  Do you use helical, two fletch ?
DBar

[Pat B]

My fletcher is a straight JoJan Multi Fletch and I offset the feathers. It doesn't really matter too much. Feathers mounted straight on a shaft will still spin because of the texture of the feather. Not as much as helical but it still spins. By offsetting the fletching I get a bit more spin than just mounting them straight.

[Danzn Bar]

Thanks... Pat

[bow101]

As long as the point and nock line up and the shaft spins true it will shoot as well as any. I've made some pretty crooked shoot shaft arrows that shoot just fine.

Thats good to know, I was always under the impression that an imperfect shaft would never hit a bulls eye, like they say you learn something every day.

[Pat B]

Art Butner won a local tournament in WV with a sourwood arrow with a big crook at the point end. He has posted a pic here somewhere of the winning arrow sticking in the target.