DIY Spine Tester!

[@jesseherbert2585]

Love the use of common equipment to make an elegantly simple spine tester, mighty appreciated!

[@frankiebob7345]

Excellent Video! Never considered a push weight only hanging. Note the 2 lbs @ 26 inches is the ATA(AMO) standard is more traditional. There is also ASTM that uses 1.94 lbs at 28 inches used by many modern carbon manufactures. ATA/0.825 = ASTM. Going the more traditional route like you did is better. Especially if arrows are cut shorter than 28" 🤣

[@pipesandpistols]

Thank you! This is immensely helpful. I’m looking at using bamboo shafts but the major deterrent has been the cost of a spine tester.

[@KennethTilisky-ew8zd]

Thank you for sharing your build on the spine reader. I have 14 recurve bows, and i shoot all of them. I recently bought 14 spiral . to log information on each one. One thing that is important information is the spine of each arrow. With your device i will be able to have this information for a few pennies. Thank you very much. Ken. Keep them straight andvon target.

[@markod7662]

Great. Super cheap and easy and simple. Most difficult is the weight. But one can also have some cup and fill it with rice and weigh it with kitchen scale. Great project after i made my own shaft cutting tool from an old drill and some boards. Thanks. I subbed 😊 👍

[@Ragnafyr]

Kev, I can feel that you are doing the stuff you do with a passion! Keep up the good work man!

[@garymathison8361]

Great. Inspired me to make one. Had to go for a hanging weight though. Thanks for the charts too.

[@RobinhoodarrowsRHA]

Hi Gary, thats great! Ive modified mine to a MkII version lol. It has a proper digital gauge over the top and has a hanging weight below :)

[@luebkeb]

I thought distance for sure tests are supposed to be 28", you say 26". I've seen conflicting info in this dimension.

[@ront8778]

Great video! I especially like the charts, thanks! One small nit-picky thing; the measurement device you used is a digital caliper, not a micrometer. A micrometer looks vaguely like a "C" clamp.

[@RobinhoodarrowsRHA]

Yeah I had a bit of a blond moment there didnt I lol 🤪

[@stuartmccloud307]

Nice little build. I'm definitely going to make one, but without the threaded bar on the weight. The OCD in me says that jiggedy jaggeding against those eye bolts is just too wrong ha ha

[@RobinhoodarrowsRHA]

Makes sense. Let me know how it turns out 🙂

Great job, loved the simple design and the video. Thank you so much. I'm not sure I will build a spine tester myself but I enjoyed the whole thing nonetheless. Instructive and fun!

[@bigDbigDbigD]

This is brilliant! Thank you!

[@sefikx1453]

Honorable Gentleman Thank you very much from İstanbul Türkiye. I really benefited. My prayers with you

[@tpmindonesiajakarta8636]

Many Thanks Robin Hood Archery..

[@jd-qk8vc]

Thank you very much, I was looking for a DIY spine meter for so long ! Great video, clear and efficient.

[@thirdworldadv1312]

Thanks! I'll make one. On a tight budget and need to make arrows for the whole family.

[@hesspet]

Great and simple design. Very nice. Thanks for sharing!

[@samfulks4896]

Thank you for the instructions

[@MultiOhioman]

Nice! I like how you explain the process.

[@klausburmeister9955]

Thank you for the video. Have a similar design at home ( thanks to your video) and planing to do testing today. Simple to use, affordable, great with wooden shafts. Greetings from Helsinki.

[@hennermauritz3772]

Hi, I came over your video three or four days ago and was really impressed by the simplicity of the diy spine tester. So I tried for myself to build it, had some trial-and-errors for placing the caliper upwards. By that trials I recogniced a special thing, concerning may be all of us who buy (have bought) a cheap digital caliper, mine was LIDL "PARKSIDE": the Vernier of (at least mine) caliper does not slide smoothly/evenly on the scale.. .it is sometimes a little bit tricky to measure even hard materials (like screw or metal profiles). So, what's the point: to get it sliding down the scale, mine Vernier needs something around 230 gramm starting-weight!!! And of course, that weight you have to ADD TO THE OFFICIAL 2#AMO (880g ASTM), otherwise your measured deflection/bending can not be compared to the " official" spine-charts, as it is bending lesser! (If not added, these 230g needed to slide the Varnier are SUBSTRACTED from DRAGGING THE ARROW!) So, don't buy a cheap digital caliper, but a "serious" one - or, even better (cheaper then), build the spine tester with the dial gauge, see RHA's Video! Regards, Dierk

[@Six_Gorillion]

You can just let the arrow deflect and then push the caliper pin to it from the bottom afterwars.. You will actually be more accurate this way as you will be sure no friction from the caliper internals are interfering with the arrow deflecting.

[@philochristos]

Well done! That is sheer elegance in its simplicity.

[@adriaanvandenberg5013]

Great tutorial and also great that you've linked the chart into metric too, way easier then making the conversion myself!

[@RobinhoodarrowsRHA]

Youre welcome 😊

[@jcknives4162]

Enjoyed your video. I like the build and plan to build my own as well. Thank you for the charts!!

[@flamberge8791]

Simple?...Brilliant!

[@serba73]

thank you very much . very simple and very instructive.

[@derekhunt9118]

Very interesting , and a useful tool that most can build. Great presentation Thanks.

[@ghoztfaze093]

great job sir.very informative

[@ArminHirmer]

great job

[@glenrohweder5736]

Awesome, love the design, about to make myself one, thank you!

[@dennisrowley728]

I enjoyed this immensely, thanks very much! I am somewhat leery though, of opening the links to the spine tester charts. It gave me a warning on each to “go back.” Did everyone also receive this? I do wish to open them and have the charts copied for my use. Thanks for your time lads!😊🍃🍂

[@RobinhoodarrowsRHA]

Sadly the RHA website, and therefore the link, is dead. Apologies for the inconvenience

[@skysurferboy]

Thanks. Great video. Gonna build one soon. 🖒

[@orlandovazquez2486]

Beautiful and easy to use design👍

[@davesmall1270]

I loved the video, wanted to build one for myself but the links go to a domain that is for sale. Where might I find them?

[@pensnut08]

Love it!! I was just looking for a DIY one so I can check my carbon arrows for the stiff side for cock feather placemment. This is great! And the O rings... Bloody brilliant!

[@stuartkenney1514]

Liked your idea very much thank you

[@ridinglife1424]

Nice tech 👌👍

[@hanneswendland4267]

very helpful and thanks for the charts

[@alanbeaulier5783]

Very easy plan thank you. Alan

[@vitopass123]

Thank You. This Helps

[@bigbobh2621]

Thanks for the vid. Just finished one ... HA ! Brill. The biggest problem I found was the 2 Lb weight. FIND your nearest SASH WINDOW WEIGHT supplier and go get yourself 2 Lb of LEAD to start your project. Don't try drilling it as the lead gets very hot and grips the drill bit. Use a wood chisel to trim the sides to get to the weight you'll need with the actuating rod and nuts. For those in West London Go to the industrial estate in North Acton --- 50 mm diameter .... £3 .... sorted. Off to measure all my arrows.

[@peterridley5256]

Another great video, have now subscribed. It was well shot and absolutely crystal clear and what its supposed to show. Question: Can you check the spine of completed arrows on this set up? (I've been given a load of unknown spine arrows and need to work my way through them to see what I've got, so I can pass on the ones that are no good for me) Thanks, Peter

[@RobinhoodarrowsRHA]

Thanks for the kind words Peter 😊 You can indeed check completed arrows on this set up. Longer arrows are slightly easier as you either have to rest one end of the arrow above or below the fletching.

[@Mac-zf4pl]

Hi.is the 26 inch from the pin centres or inside measurement? How long has this device been used?since medieval times?

[@RobinhoodarrowsRHA]

The 26" is the point where to shaft actually rests so center to center

[@Beesa10]

This is really helpful, thanks.

[@sebasaavedra2443]

Great video,this video is immensely helpful thanks... where can i get the pdfs?

[@richardwallace6026]

thank you it is so good

[@geronimodantas2724]

Você tem a tabela de conversão para flechas de carbono?

[@mesopotamia-iq]

Hi my friend really I enjoy so much when I see your videos. Q: What about the carbon shaft ..? I mean can I use this method to check the carbon arrow shaft …? Please if there is any clarification or chart work good with method , put the link down for benefit . Thank you very much Good bless you

[@RobinhoodarrowsRHA]

Hi, thank you for your kind comments :) For carbon shafts the distance between the 2 pegs would need to be 28" apart instead of the 26" for wooden shafts. The weight is also different for carbon shafts... 1.94 lbs (880 grams) I hope that helps

[@mesopotamia-iq]

@@RobinhoodarrowsRHA Thanks for your quick reply . Much appreciate 🌷

[@erg0centric]

archerytrade.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ATATECHGUIDE_FIN.pdf

[@mesopotamia-iq]

@@erg0centric Thanks a lot for your reply.

[@keithbaker3405]

I have been meaning to make something similar myself. Just to raise a couple of point though...that is not a "micrometer" it's a "vernier gauge". Also, the old AMO standards are only used for wooden arrows these days, the arrow rests being 26" apart and a 2 lb weight being used. However your spine reader would have been even better if you made removable arrow supports so they could be moved to 28" and a weight of 1.94 lbs (with an additional 0.6 lb weight that could be added ....as this is the AMO measuring requirement for carbon shafts. PS, you should also mention the importance placing the shaft in the correct orientation ie the growth pattern of the wood being in the vertical plain when measuring spine.

[@RobinhoodarrowsRHA]

keith baker Hi Keith, all good points. Thanks for that. I do mention the orientation of the grain towards the end ☺

[@TheDave570]

@@RobinhoodarrowsRHA Yes you did and also showed it on the camera, close up!

[@erg0centric]

It's a caliper.

[@jcknives4162]

@@erg0centric As you say... it's not a vernier... it's a digital caliper. Vernier means that it is not digital but we have to see the small lines and pick the one closest to exactly... blah blah blah

[@zumazuma1637]

I was wondering how the weight was constructed. I can see the result quit good. But how is the bolt held in de weight (inside the pipe length). How did you melt the lead in the pipe?

[@nicolasame9923]

that's work with bamboo shaft ?

[@gglovato]

quick dumb question, ¿isn't the AMO standard for spine 28"?, so ¿why are you putting the end 26" apart?

[@RobinhoodarrowsRHA]

Hi, Thanks for commenting. Dont get confused with other measurements. Wooden arrow spine is always measure as shown in the video. 26" apart and a 2pound force/weight 👍

[@erg0centric]

Standard for spine is 26", the standard for draw length is 28" (or 26¼" nock groove to pivot point). Confused yet? Download the ATA tech guide archerytrade.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ATATECHGUIDE_FIN.pdf

[@luissandoval4093]

Very good! Just to know, how do you know if the shaft is 400 /500 / 600 spine? thanks

[@vincentlok8894]

That number represents how much deflection the center of the arrow has with the 2pound weight in the center. If the shaft deflect .5 inches then the spine is 500. If the shaft deflects .6 inches then it is a 600 spine shaft. If it deflects .45 inches then it is a 450 spine shaft.

[@serba73]

there was drawings on the wood but while you were drilling I couldnt see any. I can not imagine the exact drill points right now. is it 26 inches from the center of the cut shafts or is it 26 inchs between the cut shafts ?

[@RobinhoodarrowsRHA]

I left all those ugly markings on the back 😉 The distance will be 26" center to center. The shaft needs to rest on two points that are 26" apart. I hope that clarifies things 👍

[@MrPhilHiatt]

Hi can you send me the link to download the charts please

[@lionelspencer-ward3527]

Copied your design, three hours later it's telling me my arrows are between 50-51lbs. Thanks for the upload....

[@TheOutdoorMentors]

Show how spine deflection changes when you index the grain differently.

[@yugen]

As he said during the demonstration.

[@mikker32]

I would turn th arrow 90 degrees and make the fletchin opposite the bow on that side

[@merlijn1722]

Heyy I have a question. On the chart you can see a "pounds" value for a certain deflection rate. Does this value correspond with the drawweight of the bow for which that spine rate is suitable? If so, don't you need to take into account the width of the bowhandle and the weight of the arrowhead to determine the right spine? Very useful video anyway, thank you for sharing this!

[@RobinhoodarrowsRHA]

Hi :) No, the value on the chart does not refer to/correspond with the draw weight of the bow. You are 100% correct that different bow with different arrow pass widths require that their arrows are tuned differently. For choosing the initial static spine for you arrow shaft bows WITH a cutout for a shelf - add 10-15# to the draw weight. Fot bow WITHOUT a cutout (english longbows for example) deduct 10-15# from the bows draw weight. Hope that helps

[@merlijn1722]

@@RobinhoodarrowsRHA hey man, thanks for your reply, clears things up a lot!

[@gregeley4683]

Hi, does the caliper have to be digital? Or can it be vernier and still zeroed ?

[@RobinhoodarrowsRHA]

What ever works for you Greg 👍👍👍

[@TheNockingPoint]

Nice!

[@scottnewby8212]

Brilliant

[@erg0centric]

A fair estimate considering you cannot measure thousandths of an inch with a pine board, I would eliminate the threads on the weight, AMO became ATA sixteen years ago, those charts are fourty year old estimates. If you want to save more pick up a digital tire tread depth gauge from ebay.

[@erg0centric]

Edit: fifty years old, 1968

[@erg0centric]

For wood shafts, page five: www.outlab.it/doc/amostd.pdf

[@kosmizn]

nice :-)

[@joejamata5583]

I've heard good feedback about the Woodglut plans.