Shaft compression

[Stone Knife]

I was looking at the compression block in 3rivers. Does anyone use one like it. I'm looking to get 5/16 shafts spined 50-55 what would i have to start with to get this? Are there any benefits to compressed shafts. Any input would be appreciated.

[Orion]

I was looking at it as well, but haven't bought one.  Pretty sure you would need to start with 11/32, though the block also has a hole to compress 23/64 to 11/32.  Don't think trying to push it through twice, from 23/64 down to 5/16 would work.  All the block does is compress the the wood around the outside circumference of the shaft, not the entire shaft.  Think it would be too much stress on the wood to try to take it from 23/64 to 5/16.  However, compressing a 11/32 shaft will enable you to get 5/16 shafts about 50-75 grains and 10-20# heavier.

[ozarkcherrybow1]

Plan on wasting a few shafts learning how to use it. I hand plane my own shafts and broke alot of shafts trying to compress them. Maybe I just need to learn the art better, but I can't stand breaking shafts that I worked so hard to make.
I would also like to hear from those that has had success with this tool....Terry

[aromakr]

I'm going to give you my honest opinion, don't waste your money, if anything that devise will burnish the shaft, but I doubt it will compress them enough to increase the spine and how will it increase weight, your adding nothing to the shaft?
Bob

[Patience]

I have never used one, but understood that it will thin your shaft and burnish it. Giving you the advantages of each. But, I also understood that it will decrease spine # not increase it.

[crashcastle]

well me and a buddy made a series of them and tried to compress in .005 increments and we did find that you could increase the spine about five pounds going from .3593down to .312 a 5/16 shaft sive but it was a learning curve and twisted a few learning it but we lost intrest in the idea not sure why just moved on to other things  just chalk it ud to a.d.d.

[Orion]

Bob:  It won't make the shaft heavier, but if the thing works, 11/32 shafts are generally heavier than 5/16 shafts so if you start with the heavier 11/32 shafts, you'll end up with heavier 5/16 shafts than if you just bought regular 5/16 shafts to start with.

[aromakr]

Orion:
Keep in mind for a larger diameter shaft to spine the same as a smaller shaft it will not be as dense and not necessarily heavier. I deal in several thousand shafts each year and find the weight ranges within a spine will run about the same from 11/32 to 23/64 and from 5/16 to 11/32. Granted there will be differences, however I think you can select just as heavy a shaft in the samller size as you can get in the larger, and not have to go through the shaft loss by trying to compress the diameter.
Bob

[Orion]

Good point.  I'm always looking for the outliers -- the heaviest shafts for their spine.  And the heaviest 11/32 will weigh more than the heaviest 5/16 if they're both spined the same.

The advantage, again assuming this block works, is that by compressing a high spine/high weight 11/32 shaft, the result can be a spine and weight that's higher than one can find in 5/16 shafts.  For example, though not terribly common in 11/32 cedar, I shoot 70-75# shafts.  Aside from Sweetland type forgewoods, I've never seen a 5/16 cedar shaft spine that high.  Thus, if I could compress my heavy spine and weight 11/32 shafts, I'd have a spine and weight higher than I could get in normal 5/16 shaft.  That's what I was trying to get at when I said you could increase spine and weight.  

The only way I can get 5/16 shafts as heavy as I want them in spine and weight is to compress 11/32s.  I think I'll just use hardwoods instead (L0L).