Straightening Wooden Arrow Shafts

So I've finally got all the bits to make my first set of wooden arrows. Other than a taper tool and a saw I have no 'tools' but rolling the shafts across a flat surface shows that 6 of the 12 are 98% straight, 4 are 95% straight and 2 are 92% straight. In other words 6 give no real 'rattle' being rolled but if you press down hard on one end there is a very tiny movement at the other end. On 4 there is a just noticeable rattle and on 2 there is a fairly obvious rattle.

Taking the worst arrow I thought I'd have a go at straightening it. Looking down the shaft I still couldn't tell where the bend was, to me it looked pretty straight. I then placed it on my flat surface, press down on one end and rotated the arrow until the other end was obviously raised up. Marking that point I then placed it over the heal of my hand and gently bent it. This made a noticeable difference.....but not in the right way. Now I had two bends in the arrow. After several minutes of trying to work out where the bends where and by how much to bend the arrow I got back to almost where I was. I then tried one final bend thinking I had finally identified where the bend was and SNAP!! :grumpy::grumpy::loser::cheerful:

Clucking Bell.

Anyone have any advice on how to straighten arrows? Just how straight should they be bearing in mind they are made of a natural material? And how can you detect where a bend is when it's too subtle to pick up by the eye?

I've seen a few DIY arrow rollers built using skate bearings which look like a good idea which may well help identify less than perfectly straight arrows and potentially where the bend is but doesn't answer how to safely make them straight.
 

Corax67

Well-known member
I think the answer may be a combination of steaming the arrow, claiming it straight then heat treating or narural drying but I am no expert never having tried it myself.

Whenever I have bought shafts I've done the roll test on the shop counter with the staff member and spine tested them too before spending my hard earned & taking them away. The shafts I have bought have been very straight indeed. Have a word with your shop next time too.




Karl
 

Raven's_Eye

Active member
Ironman
Heat before bending either with a hair dryer, or steam the bend point with a kettle. Careful as can become very supple.
 

little-else

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
arrows bend when you pull them from the boss, warp over time as moisture content changes etc so you will see differences in them later on. I havent found a way of straightening them perfectly by hand but you should be able to get them fairly close
 

Black Sun

Member
https://www.thelongbowshop.com/collections/arrow-tools/products/ace-shaft-straightener

Similar to Steve M's suggestion but available in the UK.... same kind of approach as Steve says - works reasonably well. Do they have to be 'dead'straight.... not so much as long as there aren't any major bends you can get away with a few kinks. What wood are you using - personally I've found that Pine tends to be slightly straighter than Cedar these days but your mileage may vary.
 
Many thanks for the replies. I only wanted to build 8 anyway as I'm still trying to see if I've got the right spine or not so I think I'll leave them as is and practice further straightening with the remaining 3. I do like the idea of those roller straightners though. May well invest in one of those at some point.
 

wiganmike

New member
https://www.thelongbowshop.com/collections/arrow-tools/products/ace-shaft-straightener

Similar to Steve M's suggestion but available in the UK.... same kind of approach as Steve says - works reasonably well. Do they have to be 'dead'straight.... not so much as long as there aren't any major bends you can get away with a few kinks. What wood are you using - personally I've found that Pine tends to be slightly straighter than Cedar these days but your mileage may vary.
Even cheaper here https://thearcheryshop.co.uk/arrow-...oll-r-straight-wooden-arrow-straightener.html
 
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