Hand Straightening

Daryl Hrdlicka
Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site
February 4, 2003

      The simplest way to straighten a natural wooden shaft is by hand. It is easy to do and can be performed anywhere, as long as the wood is still flexible. There are two ways to do it, and they both involve pushing and pulling on the shaft. You should do these gently at first, then increase pressure a little at a time. I find it works best if you use both thumb-bending and hand-bending, alternating back and forth. It seems to be the most effective way and doesn't (usually) crack the shaft.

Thumb-bending: Hold the shaft in both hands with the outside of the bend towards you. Place your thumbs on the shaft and push the bend away from you, while pulling towards you with the outside of your hands. Be careful while doing this -- since you are putting a lot of pressure on the wood at the point where your thumbs are pressing, it's very easy to break the shaft.


Thumb Bending
Hand-bending: This is exactly the opposite of thumb-bending. Hold the shaft with the inside of the bend towards you and push away with the outside of your hands while pulling in with the inside of your hands. This is easier on the wood, because the pressure is spread out, but is less effective for the same reason.


Hand Bending
      Either of these methods will probably take several repetitions, and probably won't last for very long with hard woods. Softer woods may or may not stay straight for very long, but you can easily reshape it as needed.

      If you hear the wood crackling as you are hand-straightening the shaft, stop immediately. You're tearing the wood fibers apart, which will weaken the dart. The shaft isn't ruined, but you'll need to use a different method to straighten it any further.

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