Spine Alignment FLO Results?

[baudi]

Been reading DaveT's site for over 10 years now end always go back. Heck, when Moi-matching became an point of interest, I wrote him a mail on his findings where Mr. Tutelman thought it might work if the ball is played from the same position. My question was if Mr Hogan and Jack Nicklaus could have profited from MOI matching.

 

It is good to know that Stuart accepts most of his views. To go short: Dave T supports flo-ing by using a laser. It is cheap and reliable.

My issue is that a diamond clamp will work better than a round or straight one. Right I am moving my studio. Will post my differences soon because doing a test takes some time. Answers ar there but not all of them.

 

Yet, the big question with me is very clear:

1. what is the best shaft orientation in the head. Please note that it is virually impossible to locate the hard side by flo-ing. It is 0 or 180 degrees. Sometimes using a bearing may work to find out afterwards. Over the years, 3 different positions were offered by different skilled clubmakers: spine at the target, spine away from the target and spine aimed at 11:40.

 

There is one tool I want to buy for many years now - a shaft profiler. Hopefully this extra data will give some more clues from a triangular point of view. I've been considering a neufinder but that is too much hassle to build one.

[Backspin9]

I am a big proponent of spining a shaft and have done hundreds of clubs. In my experience (FWIW) the less expensive shafts will have a more pronounced spine and thus benefit more from the process, and vice versa. I can definitely tell the difference as have the players for which I've done work for.

 

Now, that said, when I got my Apex irons from Callaway the Recoil shafts were not spined and they have been among the most accurate irons I've ever played. While they may benefit from spining I really don't want to tear them apart since they seem to work well just the way they are. So if it ain't broke, there's no need to fix it.

 

I know I'm contradicting myself a little, but it goes back to the quality of the shaft and that some of them just won't benefit from it.

[neoglitz]

Yet, the big question with me is very clear:

1. what is the best shaft orientation in the head. Please note that it is virually impossible to locate the hard side by flo-ing. It is 0 or 180 degrees. Sometimes using a bearing may work to find out afterwards. Over the years, 3 different positions were offered by different skilled clubmakers: spine at the target, spine away from the target and spine aimed at 11:40.

 

 

Backspin9 - I agree with you in regard to the better shafts having a much less pronounced spine. However, I have still found that F.L.O.'ing provides for great results regardless of the quality of the shaft.

 

Baudi - It is possible, but can be difficult to determine the soft and hard side of the shaft by hand. IMHO it gets down to the flex of the shaft (or resistance) during the process. It can be a bit of an art form, rather than a science when making the determination and takes a while to hone the skill. Practice, practice, practice. You mention the different positions of the "spine" regarding placement. You mean the F.L.O. position right? I ask because the spine position and F.L.O. position are rarely one in the same.

[BrianL99]

This thread it starting to sound the old "SpineTalk" or "Spinefinders" discussion board, back in the early 90's.

 

I can't believe there are still people talking about using ball bearing "spine finders".

 

Next we'll have John Curry and Tim Hewitt weighing in.

[ode1]

This thread it starting to sound the old "SpineTalk" or "Spinefinders" discussion board, back in the early 90's.

 

I can't believe there are still people talking about using ball bearing "spine finders".

 

Next we'll have John Curry and Tim Hewitt weighing in.

 

You have made your point, over and over and over.....whenever I see a thread like this it should read, BrianL99 in 3, 2, 1, lol....keep on keeping on bry

[JCAG]

This thread it starting to sound the old "SpineTalk" or "Spinefinders" discussion board, back in the early 90's.

 

I can't believe there are still people talking about using ball bearing "spine finders".

 

Next we'll have John Curry and Tim Hewitt weighing in.

 

John Curry is here as in me.

 

A brief, and to the best of my aging mind, story on shaft spines. Spining was known about for many years. At one time, one could roll a shaft on a flat surface (like a pool cue on a pool table) and see the shaft roll and then settle. The story goes the original finder of such was a machinist/clubmaker (from PA in the 60's if I recall) and father of an LPGA player who saw it when working on his daughters clubs. He applied for a patent to find and align such but when submitted to the USGA, the USGA ruled it non-conforming. Many said the shaft manufacturers of the time pressured the USGA to rule so. The fellow backed off as I understand it, he had neither the time nor the money to fight the USGA. Even then, I assure you it was going on behind closed doors for many years especially when steel shafts ruled. Dick Weiss/SST Puring purchased the patent rights, built the original SST Puring Machine, and went after the USGA. The USGA capitulated and surprisingly, fairly easy I might add. I have seen the original letter (one page) to Weiss from the USGA. The USGA did "cover their Word not allowed" about how to align spines as in their all the same orientation, gobbledygook.

 

SpineTalk was interesting. It was one of the first Internet chats on club building with the participants being mainly clubmakers. We chatted about many aspects of clubmaking (technical/business), not just spine alignment. SST and FLO soon showed ball bearing devices to be basically useless and its advocates died off as did SpineTalkers. One might argue that at the time, ball bearing devices were better than nothing the same as Ping's color code fitting was better than nothing.

 

While shaft quality has come a long way (but not with all manufacturers), for myself it cost little money to SST Pure (I believe about $15 per shaft when purchased) and nothing to Laser FLO, so I say why not be sure?

 

My driver and fairway woods are SST Pured. The rest of my clubs are laser FLOed.

 

Hell. You have people (alleged clubmakers) trying to swingweight via a spreadsheet rather than invest $50 in a machine to measure it properly. People hand filing graphite shaft tips rather than invest $50 in belt sander. People guessing at frequency rather than invest in a frequency machine. Come on. There is a lot of crap club building going out there so at least give credit to those that try and up the level of their building even to the point of SSTing or FLOing.

[platgof]

I think the reason spining has lessened is because crafts as a whole have died down. Who has the time to mess with it anymore. It takes a lot of time to gain the art of "clubmaking" to a respectable degree. There are so many variables at work here, shafts are just one part of this equation. But it was a blast to flo a shaft and finally get it in the flo (flat line oscilliation) position. I may try it again when I put a new shaft in my M2 driver. This time I will try the spine at 9, and hope that flo is close as well. I was using spine at 12 and it never worked out. I guess you should lead with the spine?