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Could someone please explain, in layman's terms, what is spining a shaft and what is puring a shaft? What is the difference between those two processes? Is one better than the other? Is it something that should be done before you build a club? (i.e., is it neccesary to spine or pure the shaft, or both, like it is neccesary to swingweight a club?) Can you do one or both of those processes at home with a minimal amount of equipement?

I've been doing searches and reading about it, but I still don't fully understand it.

I'm sure I'll have more questions later. Thanks for the help.

i have my own spine align tool and what it consist of a metal tube about 6 inches long with a roller bearing on each side and a third bearing to slide on the tip of the shaft, this way there is no resistance. how it works is you slide the butt end of the shaft into both bearings after it has been cut to the correct length, and slide the third bearing onto the tip and pull down on the shaft holding the bearing. the shaft will turn to the weakest side of the shaft which is called the nuetral bend. the spine(s) on the shaft will usually be 90 degrees of the nuetral point. steel shafts have one spine where graphite has usually two, one harder usually than the other, but not always. the more even the spine(s) or less pronounced, the better the shaft. when you pull down on the shaft and turn it with your hand (fingers) that's not holding the bearing, you can feel the hard areas (spines) in the shaft. most club builders put the nuetral bend point facing the target because that is where the shaft will bend the truest. a crafty clubmaker can set the club up for a draw or fade bias by where the spine is positioned providing the shaft will let him. if the shaft is fairly even around, he won't be able to do that. also, you can stiffen the shaft to somewhat by having the hardest spine facing toward or away from the target.

with stiffer iron (steel) shafts, it is not a neccessary to to spine align because the steel shaft doesn't bend as much as graghite. with graghite and very flexable steel, it can , and i say can, make a difference. i had a titliest 980f 4 wood that even my pro couldn't stop drawing, after i purchased the tool and spine aligned it, no more draw.

shaft puring is basically the same thing except that it's done on a electronic machine and you receive a gragh of the shaft showing where the thicker and thinner areas of the shaft and where the nuetral bend is.

the answaer to your other questions is yes,it must be done before the club is built with no grip, and i purchased mine off ebay for about $45.00. jb's spine tool is the best built. you can build you own with schedule 40 or 80 plastic water line and bearings that you can get at a hardware store for cheaper. i like jb's beacuase it's made out of metal and has a flang welded on so it's very easy to put in a vise. here is the link. http://cgi.ebay.com/JBs-SPINE-FINDER...QQcmdZViewItem
hope this helps. mike.

Thank for the help!

Another question: What is FLO? Is it like spining? Can you do it at home with a minimal amount of equipment?

flo stands for flat line oscillation. this is usually done on a frequency machine but you can do it your self by securing the but end of the shaft horizontaly in a vise and with a weight or club head on the tip and twanging the club head (pulling horizontally and releasing) to see if the flow (side to side movement) stays in a straight line or the head starts flowing ina circular motion.
if the flow is straight, shaft is in a pure position. if circular, shaft needs to be turned or adjusted.

Actually, spining does not have to performed on an uncut shaft, and can actually give different results on the same shaft after it is trimmed. I always spine AFTER I have trimmed the shaft (tip AND butt), and spine all of my steel shafts. Graphite shafts, I FLO after checking the spines, but always on the final trimmed shaft.

hey, welcome to the forum brother spiner! lol. you are absolutely right on both accounts. but if you read the third line, i did say "after the shaft is cut to the correct length".
i've found though, that unless you trimmed a lot off , it usually didn't change. better to do it the right way though or don't bother i always say, too bad it doesn't show up in my golf game.lol keep the posts coming!

Mikey300,

Sorry... I see that now. I read the last paragraph as "before the shaft is cut" rather than "before the club is built". My bad!!!

Fun stuff, though! And I agree, I wish it had a bigger effect for me, too! But at least I can't blame the equipment, right? ;)

Thanks for the welcome!

- Scott

that's allright, i've done my share of oops too. i enjoy tinkering with equipment trying to make it better, gives me something to do at home.
you'll enjoy the forum as well. i know i have, especially when you can raz leaguegolf when he deserves it. lol mike

Thanks for all the help. Welcome to GR, smillerlsu.

Thanks cosine! Looks like a good forum!