Spine Testing

[wislnwings]

I've got some wood arrows that I've had for several years now.  They are flying really good from a longbow I received recently and I'd like to have some more made.  I'm down to 2 practice arrows and 4 with broadheads.  The problem is, I have no idea what spine they are or even what wood they were made from.  Is there a way for me to figure out the spine without investing in a spine tester?

[Orion]

Not really.  Well, you could make your own makeshift spine tester.  Put two nails in a wall 26 inches apart.  Put your shaft on the nails and hang a 2# weight from it centered between the two nails and measure the deflection (how much the arrow bends from level).  The deflection can then be converted to a pound of spine figure. The trick is finding a weight that's exactly 2#.

Better idea might be to stop by an archery shop that has a spine tester and check your arrows on it.  Be sure it's set up for wood arrows, i.e. posts 26 inches apart and a 2# weight, not for carbons, i.e., posts 28 inches apart and a 1.94# weight.  They yield different results.

Or, just send one of your arrows to the vendor you buy your arrows from and have him match it, and also tell you what the spine is so you'll know next time.

[bigbadjon]

Ace makes an affordable spine tester that you hang on the wall. A spine tester is money well spent if you plan on making your own  arrows.

[Deno]

^^^^^^^
Ace wall hanger works for me also.

Deno

[wislnwings]

Thanks guys.  I tried the local archery shop but they didn't have a spine tester.  I think I'm going to just find someone to build me a dozen and send them one of these arrows to use as a base.  Now I just need to find an arrowsmith.

[Deno]

What weight is your bow and draw length?

Deno

[Tim Finley]

I found that you just cant spine test arrows by the grain  . You may think you have perfectly matched arrows but when you put the nocks on according to the stiff grain you may have the wrong side of the shaft . If you rotate the shaft 180 degrees on the straight grain side you will many times find a different spine sometimes by more than 10 lbs . . I rotate mine until I get the spine right and make a mark on the shaft and that side goes against the bow .

[wislnwings]

Thanks for the advice guys.  I decided to mail an arrow to one of the arrowsmiths on here to copy.