Strong side/Weak side

[WhistlingBadger]

I am still messing around with bare-shaft tuning, trying different spine and head weights, trying to find what flies best out of my bow.  I doubt it is going to make me drastically more accurate (consistency of form and mental focus, not precise arrow spine, seem to be the big deciding factors for me) but it's fun and I'm learning a lot.

As some of you might have read in another thread, I had a 31#, 29.5" shaft that was flying beautifully from my bow.  So I ordered a bunch more of that spine; most of them are flying too bendy.  However, I have a certain 32# shaft that flies dead straight nocked one direction, and takes a hard left turn (too bendy--I'm left-handed) when nocked the other direction.

I've heard people mention this before, and now I know it's a real thing with the shafts I use. I have a new set of 40-45# shafts that I'm going to start trying out tonight, and I'll be interested to see if swapping sides has a similar effect.  It only seems to happen when the spine of the shaft is otherwise very, very close to correct.

Anybody want to tell me more? 

Cheers~
T

[Pat B]

With doweled shafts there are only 2 sides that can safely go against the bow but one side will generally be stiffer than the other. The stiff side will go against the bow. There have been a few occasions where if the arrow doesn't fly well the way it is set up there is a good chance just by flipping it over the same arrow will shoot better. Sometimes things just happen whether it is the way it should happen or not.
 I have never bare shaft tuned an arrow so whether or not this will work with bare shaft tuning I don't know.

[PEARL DRUMS]

After testing hundreds of shafts I've come to the conclusion that stiff sides rarely exist. If I test 24 shafts one or two may have a 2-3# stiffer side and the rest will be identical as I rotate the shaft. That being said, if there is a stiff side it should go against the bow.

[WhistlingBadger]

That's interesting, Pearl.  Out of the three I've been messing with (all supposedly the same spine) only one shows a big difference between sides.  So, it's far from universal.  Like Pat said, it could explain that occasional arrow that just won't fly right.

I guess, once I get the length right on these 40-45s, I'll shoot each one a couple times before I nock them, just out of curiosity.  I'll let you know what I find out.