# simple arrow squaring device



## straddleridge (Apr 28, 2010)

The attached pictures show my simple arrow squaring device along with the nock alignment tool recommended by GRIV in one of his tutorial DVDs.















I built a more complex squaring device but it cannot be used on a fletched arrow. This one can. I use the nock alignment tool on all of my arrows and will accept a Total Indicator Rotation of .004" or +/- .002". I measured a fletched arrow at .009 and used this tool to square the nock end, re-inserted the nock and measured .003 or +/- .0015.

Simply get a 1/2 to 5/8 diameter piece of round cold rolled steel and drill a 19/64" hole. I used a drill press - you want it as straight and plumb as you can get it. Then I used my dremel workstation with a cutoff wheel to make a 90 degree cut most of the way through the piece of steel (past the 9/16"hole). I happened to have the little 4" file and enlarged the horizontal cut so it would fit. Folded sandpaper would work. Remove the nock, insert the end of the arrow and give it a few light twists and you are done

It also will work on the other end of the arrow - the tip. It will square the insert if necessary or the carbon with the insert removed.


----------



## Bearlee (Dec 24, 2009)

Nice,
How much better do your arrows fly because of doing this?


----------



## straddleridge (Apr 28, 2010)

How much better do my arrows fly because of doing this? I don't really know. 

In GRIVs tutorial DVD he makes the statement "nock straigtness is everything", but then he can hit a penny at 20 yards almost every shot. 

I am sure it makes at least some difference and I will take everything I can get because I need it. When I get time I will investigate it with my shooting machine.


----------



## straddleridge (Apr 28, 2010)

Made my shooting machine evaluation. Easton does a good job. It was difficult to misalign nocks. Apparently the outside of the inserted part of the nock and the inside of the arrows hold very close tolerances and are almost perfectly concentric.

The arrow I used was a Cabella Stalker Extreme 28" long with a 100 grain field tip and a spine of 400. The nocks were Easton super nocks.

The Sterling Machine Co. nock alignment tool recommended by GRIV will also measure shaft concentrics. The arrow I used was out of round by .002". The following graph shows three different nock alignments.

1 - nock002 which is a reading of .002" - .002 out of round or perfect alignment
2 - nock006 which is a reading of .006 - .002 out of round or .004" nock misalignment
3 - nock010 which is a reading of .010 - .002 out of round or .008" nock misalignment

The black symbols are vane with the weak side up for each aligment
The brown symbols are vane 120 degrees ccw side up for each aligment
The red symbols are vane 240 degrees ccw side up for each alignment

Although the group sizes appear to be large - up to 2 1/2 inches these are small sample 3 standard deviation sizes. The individual groupings for each alignment are either touching or in the same hole. Arrow orientation accounts for the group size.

View attachment 1348605


It is apparent from the graph and data that the better the nock straightness that the group size is smaller. 1/2 inch difference between the best and worst groups at 20 yards is quite a bit. I will take that half inch.


----------



## Bearlee (Dec 24, 2009)

Was this after squaring?
I would be curious what they were before. It seems if I am reading the chart correctly that the three arrows are grouping best in the brown group. and they are closer to center there as well. You may have found your best nock location at 20 yds if this proves true after repetition.

One thing I have come to realize about arrows is when checking spine the arrow straightness or rather lack thereof must also be taken into account as well.

I pulled off the nock ends of the factory cut Carbon Express Blue streaks and could see the difference in the sloppy cut. This should transfer more energy directly and even to all parts of the shaft by squaring it up.

1/2" is the difference in cutting the line more often than not.


----------



## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

When I started using the Sterling tool about 5 years ago, my mediocre indoor scores improved about 10 points. I don't know if it was the "new toy syndrome" or actual improvement, but I'm leaning to it being real improvement.

JMO

Allen


----------



## straddleridge (Apr 28, 2010)

The way I made the arrow for the test. The same arrow was used for all 9 shots. By the way the fletching was flexfletch 310s

First I measured the concentricity and found that the arrow was out of round by .002". 

The first group I purposly sandpapered the nock end of the shaft so it was not square and measured the nock straightness to be .006". Considering the .002" out of round I consider this arrow to have a nock straightness of .004". These are the triangles on the graph. The different colors are the vane alignment. 

The second group I squared the nock end of the shaft and used a new nock. Measured the straightness and it was .002". Considering the .002" out of round I consider this arrow to have perfect nock alignment. These are the circles on the graph. Again the different colors are the vane alignment.

The last group I again sandpapered the nock end of the shaft so it was not square and cut the nubs on the outside of one side of the insertable part of the nock and measured the alignment. The straightness was .010". Subtracting the .002 out of round this arrow has a nock misalignment of .008". The colors are the same nock alignment as the first 2 groups.

The distances from the center of the graph really don't mean anything since I just stuck an 8 1/2 X 11 inch piece of paper where my shooting machine was impacting the target and measured from the same arbitrary point on the target. A picture of the actual target face is shown below. 

View attachment 1349605


----------



## jrdrees (Jun 12, 2010)

What method did you use to make sure the cut was straight and plumb? I like the simplicity of the idea, may have to make me one!


----------



## straddleridge (Apr 28, 2010)

Straight and plumb may not be critical. If the hole diameter is correct and you are spinning the arrow, the "high" side will contact the abrasive and be ground down. Of course straight and plumb is desireable.

I have a drill press which has a level table and the chucked drill is plumb(checked with a level). I put the round piece of steel in a drill press vise and used a small magnetic level to make sure the round piece of steel was plumb.

I also chucked a small grinding wheel in my drill press and slowly and carefully lowered it onto the steel rod to square the ends.

For the cut I just hand fed it into a cutting wheel on a dremel workstation relying on the squareness of the ground steel rod ends.

I have used it several times now and it does square the arrow ends. The beauty of it is that you can use it with fletched arrows.

What I believe is critical is the hole size. My arrows are 400 sipine Cabellas Stalker extremes with an OD of .296". 340 spine would be slightly larger like .303". A 19/64 bit is .297".


----------



## Bearlee (Dec 24, 2009)

I did some tinkering today
It definately does matter
at 60 yards 
I shot 3 arrows 5 times each for a total group size of about 6"
After I spun my arrows on sand paper evening down the rough edges
I shot my arrows and still ended up with a 6" group size
but more often than not 2 of the arrows were within 2" of the center
Even though the numbers did not show it I could see the benefit of it making my group sizes shrink by about a third.
I will make a little tool and test further.


----------

