The stiff side

[DC]

Sorry to bring this up again but I seem to have a mental block about it. I put my arrow in the spine checker and check the spine at various positions as I rotate it. I find the position where the spine meter reads the highest and mark the top of the arrow(that would be the concave side). Do I put the mark against the bow?

[Hawkdancer]

Doc
The stiff side to the bow seems to be the conventional wisdom with shoots, at least, but I am probably the least experienced arrow/bow maker here.  That is what I am doing.
Hawkdancer

[DC]

I guess I wasn't very clear. What I'm trying to find out for sure is which is the "stiff side". I tend to overthink things and in my mind "stiff side" can have a few meanings. I also have it in my mind which way the arrow should go and it seems to contradict how I'm interpreting "stiff side to the bow".

[RBLusthaus]

Generally (read - in a  perfect world)  the arrow nock should be perpendicular to the shaft grain, and the shaft grain should be horizontal as it sits on the bow shelf - and the top of the Arrow (concave) as it was on the spine tester is facing the bow.  Russ.

[BowEd]

On a spiner with the weight attached and the shaft bowing[concave side].That's the side against the bow if it's the stiffer reading.I mark my spine on the shaft and weight by the nock on the other side so it's visible when nocking an arrow also so I know where to cut my nock on shoot shafts for self nocks.I don't ever use plastic glue on nocks on my arrows.If your making arrows that way that's the way it's done for self nocks.A 1/2" wide wrap should be done below the nock then too for safetys' sake.

[DC]

On a spiner with the weight attached and the shaft bowing[concave side].That's the side against the bow if it's the stiffer reading.

Thanks Ed. That also fits in with my way of thinking so everything is good.

[BowEd]

I had to ponder the same question as you stated too then through making enough arrows the procedure was solved.

[Pat B]

With doweled arrows there are 2 predetermined possible stiff sides, the sides with the edge grain but because of the direction of the grain "flames" only one of these sides is safe to put against the bow. Cane and hardwood shoots are different and their stiff side has to be determined and that side goes against the bow.

[BowEd]

Yes +1 of what Pat B  said and I should have mentioned it.Split timber shafts to be the safest with the rift grain points or flames pointing at you and the edge grain on the bow only have 1 choice of a side against the bow with self nocks.
That's why when buying split timber shafts it's important the seller does his testing on them properly before sending them away.

[RBLusthaus]

Ed, I think you may have a typo.  You want the grain arrows or flames on split shafts to point away from the archer, along the top of the arrow, as it sits on the shelf.  In this way, if the arrow splits on release, the back portion will hopefully travel up and away from the bow hand. 

[RBLusthaus]

Also, split shafts can be used one of two ways, depending on which end you designate as the nock end.  Once nock end is set, only one way is left to you, unless the shaft has no runout. 

[BowEd]

Russel...I want the rift grain that goes across my knuckle to have the grain run out or tips to be pointed at me not my hand.That way if the arrow does break on release I want the points the opposite direction of my hand.
With that being said the rift fade out is the opposite on the other side most times so there is only one side to shoot from but sometimes the points are both ways on some shafts too yet.If the shaft is the proper spine for the bow most always the arrow will not break anyway.
Should mention too one should always check wooden arrows occasionally.The self nocks and the shaft etc. for any damage.

[RBLusthaus]

I agree, we want to situate the arrow so that if it does break on release, that it does not go into the bow hand.  The front portion of the broken arrow falls away since there is nothing pushing it forward.  Tthe rear portion of our hypothetical broken arrow is still being propelled by the string towards the bow hand.   This broken arrow, will break along the grain, diagonally, from the grain flame on the top, following that growth ring, to the grain flame on the bottom.  This diagonal line will act as a kinda ramp, and will dictate the direction the back half of the arrow will follow, and we want this ramp to urge the back half arrow portion to travel up and over the bow hand, not down into it.  Thus, we want to orientate our grain flames pointing towards the target on the top half of the arrow so that, if it does break, the broken grain line will be, from arrow top to bottom, going from further away to closer to the shooter.  A picture is worth a thousand words, and I don't have one.  I hope you are able to form a mental one. 

[loon]

Like this?

Code: [Select]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhUOoyz6ips#t=3m30s

[BowEd]

I agree, we want to situate the arrow so that if it does break on release, that it does not go into the bow hand.  The front portion of the broken arrow falls away since there is nothing pushing it forward.  Tthe rear portion of our hypothetical broken arrow is still being propelled by the string towards the bow hand.   This broken arrow, will break along the grain, diagonally, from the grain flame on the top, following that growth ring, to the grain flame on the bottom.  This diagonal line will act as a kinda ramp, and will dictate the direction the back half of the arrow will follow, and we want this ramp to urge the back half arrow portion to travel up and over the bow hand, not down into it.  Thus, we want to orientate our grain flames pointing towards the target on the top half of the arrow so that, if it does break, the broken grain line will be, from arrow top to bottom, going from further away to closer to the shooter.  A picture is worth a thousand words, and I don't have one.  I hope you are able to form a mental one. 

Yes I think we agree on the safety concept of construction.I'm going by the construction layout shown in the TBB 3 book of custom made shafts.Footing arrow shafts.There is a picture there of the rift gain in relation to the nock.