Do you have to “tiller” arrows?

[Ryan Jacob]

So I was working on some hardwood shoot shafts and noticed that unlike my bamboo arrows, they dont flex evenly. I this an issue. I’m using the fat tip taper or whatever its called again by the way.

[JW_Halverson]

When cutting self nocks in arrow shafts NOT made from shoots, wherein you have grain such as the growthrings, you will have to make allowances.  For best strength of the nocks, you cut them across the grain so that they resist further splitting as the string drives deeper into the nock upon release.  That means that the grain of the wood is now perpendicular to the bow.  The arrow is less flexible on this axis than it would be rotated 90 degrees so that the grain would be parallel to the axis of the limbs. Clear as mud?

If you have an arrow shaft at hand, try this.  Test bend it across the grain and with the grain several times, noting the difference.  When commercial shaft producers (like the pros at Surewood Shafts, shameless promotion of some great guys) are organizing a pile of shafts they are sorting them into piles according to stiffness/spine. The shafts are universally tested flexing the stiffest side, which is along the same axis as the grain. 

I have improvised lighter spine arrows by re-nocking stiff arrows to allow for hav ing the grain parallel to the limbs of the bow to SOME success.  I was up against the wall and had to get some arrows put together to go with a kid's bow.  I could have tried sanding the middle part of the arrows to take away material and lighten the spine, but time was of the essence.  It worked....after a fashion. Fortunately, he lost all three arrows by week #2 with the bow, giving me time to get some lighter spined arrow shafts in the mail and fletched up. 

[Pat B]

With shoot shafts you want the butt end(big end) to be the point and the small end to be the nock. This will give you a naturally weight forward arrow. I only check spine to find the stiff side of the shoot and that side goes against the bow. The natural taper of the shoot will reduce the dynamic spine by up to 10# and for each inch over 28" you can reduce the dynamic spine weight by 5# per inch. So, if you have a 30" shoot shaft that spines at 60# the taper will make it shoot like a 50# arrow and the 2" over 28" will make it shoot like a 40# spined arrow. Lengths under 28" will increase the spine value by 5# per inch.

[DC]

So I was working on some hardwood shoot shafts and noticed that unlike my bamboo arrows, they dont flex evenly. I this an issue. I’m using the fat tip taper or whatever its called again by the way.

Do you mean they have a hinge when you bend them?

[Pat B]

One thing to remember when using shoot shafts and cane is they are natural and not manufactured so they will have wiggles, lumps, leaf scars, nodes, crooks, etc. Even with these adversities good shooting arrows can be made. When I can find the right sourwood shoot I like making crooked arrows. Even with an obvious snaky section these crooked arrows can shoot as well as a manufactured shaft.

[Ryan Jacob]

Yes I’ve done all that already. I meant that there’s a hinge when I bent them.

[Pat B]

Are they well seasoned? Any irregularity that can't be remedied become tomato stakes.If it does have a hinge it's not worth the risk of injury.

[Ryan Jacob]

Yup, they were well seasoned. Although I got luckily unlucky. I was bending it a bit and it went kablooey.

[Pat B]

Never take a chance with an iffy shaft.   

[BowEd]

Ryan....With shoot shafts there is less length or shorter length to recover from paradox around a handle and the force of the string sending it away.The half to the nock does most of the bending.Opposed to parallel width length shafts where they will bend at the middle both ways.Quicker recovery.Sort of like a javeline.With more weight up front also a helping factor.Reason why shoot shafts don't look like they bend evenly.
Although a properly spined parallel shaft to the bow will fly just as well.That's my consesus on reasons why shoot shafts that are full length tapered are so forgiving.
Instead of calling it tillering shafts like bows the term spineing shafts is used.
I would like to see the slow motion comparison of 2 shafts shot.A full length tapered shoot shaft and a parallel width shaft.

[DC]

Were they parallel shafts? How did you shape them?

[Ryan Jacob]

I just gave them a light sanding... though it may have been the 20 or so knots in that stick of guava...

[DC]

You did say "shoot" shafts, I missed that, sorry. Yes I imagine a lot of knots could cause a problem. I would throw out any that didn't bend evenly.

[Pat B]

Generally the knots and leaf scars are at the small end(up side). I've never had any problems with knots or leaf scars.

[archeryrob]

Next time be more picky and choose shafts with no knots. You can go out in the spring and find nice shafts that are small and snip or strip off the leaves and small branches for it to grow without them. I have done that. If they are hinging in one spot I would let that arrow rest in the firewood pile.