grooves in arrow shafts?

[beartail]

whats the skinny on grooves carved in arrow shafts? and did they go the whole shaft or what?

[Pat B]

Different tribes made them differently. I'm not sure what the real deal is about them but they can help keep shoot shafts straight. Well seasoned and tempered shafts stay pretty straight on their own.

[bowandarrow473]

I have heard the same. the groves where there to keep them straight

[Pappy]

Not sure either but helps keep them straight is what I have always heard also. and it looks cool.
 Pappy

[Dakota Kid]

I would also imagine it would increase bleeding just slightly on a non-pass through shot. When it comes to a light blood trail, an extra drop or two can make all the difference.

[Dakota Kid]

It might make them easier to pull from a foam target too. No vacuum action.

[Redhand]

The grooves help to straighten the arrow shaft when heating.  I usually put three grooves in my arrows the full length of the shaft

[Danzn Bar]

The grooves help to straighten the arrow shaft when heating.  I usually put three grooves in my arrows the full length of the shaft

I assume you do this on split timber shafts and shoot shafts.....do you have a special type of "tool" to do this? how do you do it?
DBar

[Pat B]

DBar here is the tool I use. It is a half of a round hickory pole with a 3/8" hole drilled before splitting in half. In the center of the groove is a sheet rock screw screwed down through the tool with just a small bit of the tip that I sharpened. I drag this tool down the shaft with enough pressure that the blade will cut the grove in the shaft.

[Redhand]

I also use a similar tool like pats to make the grooves.

[bowtarist]

My Comanche buddy puts them on the week side of the shaft then when heating them to straighten the edges of the groove take on more heat and get harder, helping to stiffen the week side. He had an analogy but I'm having trouble remembering it rite now. 😕 if I think of it I'll post again.

[Aaron H]

Great tool Pat

[Pat B]

Simplicity!   

[Danzn Bar]

Thanks!  Pat .......Why didn't I think of that 
DBar

[tipi stuff]

   Here are a couple of tools with groovers. These are not old, but made like old ones. the top photo is a piece of rib bone. It has sizing holes cut into it also. The "hook" shaped cutout is the groover. You just place the arrow shaft into the cut out, and as you pull the shaft through, the pointed end of the hook cuts the groove.
   I did not make the one in the bottom photo. It was made by a buddy of mine, Ken Weidner. It is made from an old table knife. It has two groovers cut into it, a smaller one on the left and a larger one in the center of the blade. The right hand side of the blade is made into an arrow saw. Both types of arrow tools were common to plains tribes in the 1800's.  Curtis