Straightening Wood

[bpjon]

Has anyone used either of the wood arrow straightening gadgets that 3Rivers sells?  I have absolutely no experience straightening wood shafts and have a boatload to do.  Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

[Rufus]

Shaft tamer works pretty well once you get the hang of it and not take the roundness from your shaft. I like to use heat and hand straighten then use the shaft tamer on the "tough spots" and it's handy to take bends out on the ends of the shaft. There be lots of methods. Hook straighteners work well too. Mostly a matter of preference and skill ability. I have an old stainless steel hook from a ratchet strap that works like a charm using as a rubbing type system like a hook straightener. . Good luck. Sometimes you'll find a shaft that has a mind of it's own.

[Bjorn]

I have had them and passed them on-I just use my fingers and it works great. There is a tutorial around here someplace.

[Bud B.]

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=114434

[bpjon]

Thanks for the link, Bud.  I also searched for a tutorial and found this post:  http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000060

Thanks for the tips everybody!

[Larry m]

Many methods out there. One I use at times is to sit in a comfortable chair, rest the end of shaft on the floor and sight down the shaft looking for high points. I then use a good sized screw driver and take the rounded part of the blade to lightly rub on those high locations of the shaft. This and hand tweaking gets me some very consistent straight woodies. I picked this method up at this site somewhere and it works great. I have used the Ace at times but find the screw driver method seems to work very well!!

[ddauler]

What Larry said. Coffe cup handle works good too.

[RidgeRat]

Me and my son have been building our own wooden arrows for about 2 years now. We started by hand, then went to a turn buckle with hook ends to hit the high spots.  I finally, broke down and bought both arrow straighteners from 3 Rivers. I found that doing by hand never gets them as straight as a tool. Of everything we used, the 3 Rivers shaft tamer worked the best. The weight (4-5 lbs) of the tool with the proper smooth notch/groove is ideal. A big key is using a flat surface, finding the high spot and working the tool with the palm of your hand lightly first and rechecking. If you work it to hard you will create another high spot or bend in the shaft. But in the end I wound up straightening a dozen wooden shafts in short order. The tool works.  I have used it on bare shafts and finished shafts. It will tear up any arrow clear coat if you have to work a hard bend. If you go easy the weight of the tool does the job.

[Bjorn]

I will add that buying top quality shafting really helps, my son and I only shoot wood, we shoot as much as anybody and we rarely need to straighten.

[Flying Dutchman]

I only shoot woodies till now, and it is my pride to make them as straight as carbons. I have a great tutorial for you. It really is very easy once you get the hang of it. No expensive tools are required! All you need is a screwdriver. You need to practice a little bit with how many pressure is needed. In the end you will find out it is amazingly easy. I found out that how bigger the screwdriver, how easier it goes! Remember, the right amount of pressure is important. If you use to much, the shaft is likely to bend the other way or will crack with extreme pressur. With too less pressure, it won't work. After a few shafts you will find it out. For testing if they are sraight, spin the shaft on your hand or roll it on a flats surface like glass. Making fast strokes works the best.

Here you go bro:  http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000060