how do you tell left and right helical fletch?

[allan f]

I had a fletching tool that I lent to a friend and he sent me back a new one ....not sure why, perhaps a tragic fate befell my old tool.  The one he sent me says "Left Helical" and I had it in my head that I had a "Right Helical".  So after all that, here are my questions.
1. What is the difference between Left and Right Helical?

2. I understand that the feather itself can be Left or Right wing. Can you use either wing feather for either helical fletch ?ie: left and right wing for right helical (as long as you stay consistant)

3. When I look up my arrows from the nock towards the point, the fletchings that I have on from my old tool curve to the right. When I take the new fletching tool that is labeled Left Helical I can put them over the fletch and they curve to the right just like the old one did. So I want to know which way the Helical curve goes for each too?

I would really appreciate clarity from you guys who actually know how this stuff is measured.    

Thanks,
Allan

[Eric Krewson]

It is all about the wing the feather was removed from. Right are supposed to be better for left hand shooters and left for right handed shooters. Some say it doesn't matter but you won't see any top notch right handed tournament shooters shooting right wing fletching. This should tell you something.

You need to stick with right feathers in a right clamp. I have accidentally fletched left feathers in a right clamp, they worked OK but looked a little odd.

If your jig is adjusted for a right clamp, a left clamp will still turn to the right a little. You have to readjust your jig for a left clamp.

[chesapeakeblend]

So how about question #3?  

I have been wondering the very same questions as I prepare to dive into some building.

Thanks!

[ChuckC]

well,the feathers typically are ground slightly differently.  If you view them as you said, there is a portion of the feather shaft that sticks out on the side opposite of "the wing" it came from.  In othe words, left wing feathers stick out on the right side, right wing feathers on the left.  

Yes, the feathers curve differently than the other type.  Imagine the wing, each is cupped slightly to catch the air.  Cup your hands and you can visualize.  Since the feather itself is not symetrical, leading edge is small, following edge is larger, only one side (larger)of the feather is used for fletching.

I have never fletched right feathers with a left jig and vice versa but I would think it wouldn't work well due to those differing cup shapes.

If you carefully look at your fletch, on the arrow, left wing makes the arrow spin counter clock-wise,  right wing goes the other way.
ChuckC

[cajuntec]

Look down your arrow shaft from the nock end, so that you are looking at the base of your feathers.  If it looks like a capital "L", then they are left wing feathers and must be fletched "left helical".  If it looks like a reverse L, then you have right wing feathers, and they must be fletched "right helical".

From the sounds of it, your buddy bought you the wrong new chopper.

To answer #2 - no.  Right wing must be fletched right wing, and left fletched left wing.  I tried the reverse once, just to "prove that theory wrong"..... Didn't work so well.  Ha!

In your statement in #3, thost would be Right Wing Helical.  If the base of the feather at the nock end then heads clockwise to the tip end, it's a right helical fletch.  

All the best,
Glenn

[30coupe]

All of the above is correct for the most part. You can mismatch the feathers and make it work. The main result is that the fletching kind of flattens out when you twist it opposite the way it wants to go. They don't shoot much differently to be honest.

How do I know this? I was in Cabela's once. I was out of feathers at home, so I wanted to grab some. The boss (aka Mrs. 30coupe) was ready to go to the outlet mall. I looked at the tag on the peg and it said 5" LW Parabolic, so I grabbed a bag of feathers and checked out. When I got home I discovered that someone had apparently hung the bag on the wrong peg and the feathers were right wing. I decided to give them a try anyway. I don't have a right helical clamp, so they were glued up with a left helical.

Long story short: they work (sort of), but look kind of funny.

[Charlie Lamb]

Fletch right wing in a right clamp.  Here's a right wing/right clamp arrow.
 
 

[sidebuster]

Feathers are categorized as left wing or right wing feathers.  The helical is buit into a helical feather by the MFG.  You just have to know if you want left helical or right helical by just asking for left wing or right wing feather.  Here is diagram on determining left or right wing feathers.

 

[Charlie Lamb]

 

[sidebuster]

Correction I miss spoke.  The helical is determined by the flethcing clamps you buy such as jo jan fletching jigs.  Left wing or right wing or straight.

[allan f]

side buster do the helical sprails move opposite directions?

[allan f]

from looking fron nock to tip of arrow does Left helical twist go counter clockwise and right go clockwise?

[allan f]

Charlie- those pictures really help and make things clearer thanks

[cajuntec]

Left Helical goes Counter.  Look at Charlie Lambs great pics of the fletched arrows.  Those are right helical.
All the best,
Glenn

[sidebuster]

Allan left helical wants to spin away from the site window and right helical wants to spin toward the site window

[cajuntec]

To continue sidebusters sentence (hope you don't mind sidebuster) .... for a right handed shooter.  A left handed shooter will have the opposite effect - left will spin towards the riser and right will spin away from it.

It's been rumored and discussed until people were blue in the face that left hand shooters should shoot right hand feathers and vice versa... but I have never seen any hard evidence to support this claim, just peoples opinions and the statement "that's the way it's always been".  But I'm a right handed shooter and shoot right hand helical feathers.  Never had a problem.  I see no difference in my shooting when I shoot left hand helical feathers either.  
All the best,
Glenn

[ChuckC]

Although it might look like it will spin it toward, or away from the riser, the arrow won't start spinning until it leaves the string, and even then, not for a bit.  It will be well past the riser before the arrow begins to spin.
ChuckC

[chesapeakeblend]

Thanks for the images fellas!  That really helped me out.

[Cherokee Scout]

I remember it like parantheses, like this ().
( is left , ) is right, looking from the top of the feather.