grooving shoot shafts ?

[backtowood B2W]

winter time - arrow building time

made some more dogwood and few hazel arrows, played around a bit with different field tip point styles. Self nocks are my favorite style and working them out is getting better and faster.

The shafts for the arrows were quite close to the desired spine and weight.

The bundle raw shafts are from the thicker shoots, planed them down to  50# spine, 11/32 tip to fit the taper for screw on field tips, and sanded them down to 45 - 50 spine range with a driller and 80 grit sandpaper. They weight pretty close the same. Also this were the straighter ones from beginning and they stay much straighter than my first shoot shaft arrows.

Still some just don't wanna stay straight, and I red that dog wood shafts will stay straight when you make grooves lengthwise before fire hardening it.
I tried to cut some grooves in a lousy flyer and did a lousy job...
Does anyone know how this is done?
I like those shafts more and more. Haven't tried bamboo yet but shoot shafts are really tough.
Need to find more hazel as this ones are a bit lighter and straiter than the dogwood.

[Hawkdancer]

B2W,
You can make a groove cutter by cutting a notch in a block of hardwood to match the shaft diameter, and drill a nail hole into the point of the notch, and insert a small nail through the back side.  Adjust to the depth you want the grooves and glue the nail in.
Hawkdancer

[artcher1]

What Hawkdancer said.👍

When I started grooving shafts I'd never heard of the process. I was trying to make short shoot hunting arrows. but after sanding them down to spine weight I ended up with arrows too light in physical weight for hunting. So I figured out that grooving a shaft would lower it's spine while still maintaining good hunting weight for short hunting arrows.

Later I learned that the grooves may have been used for keeping a shaft straight. Then I read that they were blood grooves. But for me, grooving was used for lowering spine while maintaining good hunting weight for short hunting arrows...…...Art

[backtowood B2W]

Thx I will try that.
Had something like that in mind, but didn't know how to maintain a even depth groove as the diameter changes. But I guess angeling the tool with a bit of practice will work out.

Art, how many grooves do you make and how much does this lower the spine?
You didn't get shafts which stayed straighter than before?

Thx for reply
B2W

[Hawkdancer]

I try to keep my shoot shafts pretty close to the same diameter full length, but a shim under the shaft will raise it up for grooving.
Hawkdancer

[artcher1]

B2W, I used a three groove. Knowing what I know now I would try a four groove. I can't tell you how much the grooves reduced spine because I hadn't built my spine tester yet. But it did reduce their spine enough to use in wide handle bows. And no, the shafts didn't stay straight after heat straightening. I think that was because they were more green than seasoned. I later learned that it takes at least a year of seasoning time for shoot shafts to stay straight. There really is no substitute for seasoning hardwood shoots...…...Art

[DC]

How about making a "V" notch in a piece of wood and instead of a nail, run a wood screw in so the tip of the screw sticks out in the bottom of the "V". Then it's adjustable to fit any diameter.

[Hawkdancer]

How about making a "V" notch in a piece of wood and instead of a nail, run a wood screw in so the tip of the screw sticks out in the bottom of the "V". Then it's adjustable to fit any diameter.

DC, that would work, too, but you need a fine screw, like a #2 or #4, I think.  Of course, a bit of filing will work, too. Good idea!
Hawkdancer

[Pat B]

Here in my shaft groover. It is a round piece of hickory I drilled a 3/8" hole through, sawed it in half and added the sheet rock screw with a flattened tip. With the screw you can adjust the depth and width of the grove.

[backtowood B2W]

Thank you guys for your advice!
Was gifted some boo shafts lately, with which I played around. So, I didn't make a tool yet. Try to make one soon!
How deep and wide do you make the groove?
B2W

[Pat B]

Maybe a 1/16" to 1/32" both ways but I've never measured.

[backtowood B2W]

Thanks pat!, I will try to get it done tomorrow...

[backtowood B2W]

Haven't made a tool yet. Was able to straighten them by compressing the convex side with a small glass bottle. No grooves no heat just worked out like that. Maybe because this ones seasoned for a year!?!

[BowEd]

Nice looking and variety of shoot shaft arrows.I agree they are very tough.You've got a nice variety of shoots around you.Like Art I find there's no substitute for long seasoning them for staying straight.I say whatever works for someone.
My plum here is the most dense type shoot shaft too.It's just a regular type of plum that's all over this area but getting numbers of suitable lengthed shafts of it is'nt as easy as getting dogwoods.

[bownarra]

My tool is the same as PatB's, it works really well.
I never found any huge difference grooving and fire hardening compared to proper long seasoning.
The key for me is a straighten them when green, bundle together and wrap tightly, every month or so unbundle them and restraighten if necessary. Once they are reasonably dry I then plane them down to a bit over spined. Re-straighten this time getting them perfect. Bundle up again then leave them for as long as possible!
Cutting some shafts one a month for a while and doing all this will mean you eventually have a really good stock of properly seasoned and straight shafts.
Of course only picking the very best shoots to begin with helps a lot