Wood arrows and broadhead alignment...

[green valley gobbler]

Just wandering if there are any secrets to getting your broadheads to spin true when putting them on wooden shafts.  I've noticed that even when the broadhead even spins slightly off, arrow will not fly true.  This has been my experience with the 150 grain Snuffers anyway.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance!

[Stumpkiller]

When I make my arrows I straighten the shafts when they arrive.  Again before I taper.  And again before I fletch.  I use a Woodchuck taper lathe to get the taper true and straight.  If the taper isn't right you'll never get the head straight.

[Dave Lay]

I've never noticed any difference in wood or aluminum arrows as far a broad head alignment goes. Just be sure your taper is true and clean of any old glue etc. some say that a 3 blade should align with the fletching bit I haven't really seen that it makes a difference

[Fletcher]

I use this gizmo, very simple but easy and effective.  Simply lay the shaft in the V's and align the point with the target and rotate the shaft to make sure the point stays put and true.  Cool the glue and it's done.

 

[Knawbone]

As SK'er said, Make sure you straighten your shafts BEFORE tapering for your BH. If you use a hot melt glue to attach the heads, you can adjust alinement while the glue is still in a molten state.Test concentricity by spinning the arrow vertically with the point on a flat surface. Sometimes it helps to complete this process with a field tip attached, and then replacing it with the broad head.Spin test again. Check out the How To section of TG  Make sure the spine weight of your arrow is correct for the length of your arrow, and weight of your BH or field point.

[Pat B]

For glue on heads, when they spin true they are good to go. I don't align the blade to any specific direction.

[Bjorn]

The tapers at both ends of the arrow are even more important than the straightness of the wood shaft. In my experience anyway. To be sure I straighten as needed but without good tapers the nocks and BH's won't contribute to proper flight.

[lbshooter]

I use my Bohnimg cresting lathe as a test  to both straighten my arrows, and check head and nock alignment.  Braadhead arrows muct spin with ZERO wobble anywhere, arrow weight within 20 gr, and spine within 3#. Each arrow is then tested for flight.  This has worked for me for over 30 years.

[killinstuff]

I get glue and the BH hot put the BH on and push the BH pretty hard on the shaft using a cutting board and give it a spin. If it's off I give the BH a 1/4 turn or so pushing hard again and it should be straight then hit it with cold water. Done. If I do that a few times and the BH still wobbles, my taper is off and I put that staff aside. But I try that BH on the next shaft and if that one wobbles it's the BH.  Have had a 2 or 3 bad BH's over the years.

[Zradix]

Originally posted by Fletcher:
I use this gizmo, very simple but easy and effective.  Simply lay the shaft in the V's and align the point with the target and rotate the shaft to make sure the point stays put and true.  Cool the glue and it's done.

     

I like that Rick...
The scotch tape is a good idea.

[First Up]

Originally posted by Fletcher:
I use this gizmo, very simple but easy and effective.  Simply lay the shaft in the V's and align the point with the target and rotate the shaft to make sure the point stays put and true.  Cool the glue and it's done.

     

I use this same set up. I first take a straight arrow with a new field point and lay it on this jig. I apply forward pressure to leave a slight indentation with the field point in the board. Now once I put on my broadhead I quickly lay the arrow on the jig and place the point of the broadhead in the indentation until it cools. I have not had a problem with alignment using this method.

[onewhohasfun]

Wood or carbon, always do a test fit with no glue. If it won't spin true dry,no glue, it will never spin true with glue applied.

[BAK]

If you don't have perfect nock and point tapers, nothing else will matter, period.  I learned this over 40+ years of putting together arrows.  

The only way I've ever found to get such tapers is with some form of disk sander.  Those who won't go for the expense and time to do it that way will always have to settle for mediocre results.

[overbo]

Nock taper is 1st and foremost important. I check for straightness and which end of a shaft is straightest, that end gets the nock. As for BH spinning perfectly to be as accurate as one that doesn't. I haven't found that the case if nock alignment, spine, ect, is correct.

[NY Yankee]

You must have straight shafts and good tapers as well. Tapers must not be rough survaced with fibers sticking up or bumps from the wood etc. I have had to gently hand sand tapers to make them smooth. Then, if you have all that, you still have to have the point spin perfectly true to center axis. I spin them point down on a block of wood and keep turning the point til I get absolutely no wobble. Then I get good flight.

I have seen lots of guys blame the taper when the glue was uneven.  If you do get the hot melt uneven, turn the heated broadhead around the shaft a few times.  Some heads, like Hills can show a beautiful wobble when spin testing.  Be aware that spinning can give a false reading if the tip has been filed off center.  A homemade alignment tool is more reliable for most.